Instagram May Be Entering Its Flop Era

Kardashians call for ‘Instagram to be Instagram again’

KD Writes
DataDrivenInvestor
Published in
5 min readOct 25, 2022

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Source: Change.org

I know what you’re thinking… that’s a bold statement.

And it is.

However, after extensive research on the topic, I have concluded why I believe Instagram is in its decline stage and bound to reach its inevitable death.

Statistics Are Telling

Let’s go back to the beginning of this year.

In only 8 months, Meta Platforms stock prices have fallen by over 50%.

Meta Platforms Market Summary via Google Finance

So, What Happened?

If you look at the graph above, you can see that there was a sharp drop in February.

On February 2, 2022, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, lost $230 billion in market value within 24 hours, the largest wipeout in market value for any U.S. company ever.

On this day, Mark Zuckerburg reported that their site usage and revenue had been declining.

Is Instagram Dying? Here’s The Proof.

When people talk about an app “dying,” they usually mean that the app will become increasingly irrelevant over time.

And this is clearly the case for Instagram.

Lately, I've noticed that more and more major news sites are publishing articles about how the platform is dying.

Here are just a few examples:

Is Instagram one update away from becoming irrelevant? — The Drum

Opinion: Instagram isn’t dying; it’s dead. — Daily Emerald

Instagram knows you don’t like its changes. It doesn’t care. — The Washington Post

For the first time in years, I noticed myself using the platform less and less. I’m honestly bored with it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve clicked on someone's profile that I follow to find out I missed posts from them, even though I’ve been following them.

I’ve also noticed creators don’t post as much on Instagram anymore. Unless they post a reel, their posts aren’t shown, even to the people who follow them!

Not to mention that the dreadful TikTok impersonating explore page was filled with recycled TikTok trends.

Let’s explore the reasons why people are losing interest in Instagram.

Losing sight of its beginnings

All of the articles mentioned above touch on a similar complaint — Instagram is drifting away from its roots of image sharing and turning into another TikTok.

What users originally enjoyed Instagram for is rapidly declining. Instagram used to be a place to see photos from your friends or influencers you chose to follow.

But now our feeds are filled with (poorly) suggested posts — random people’s content we never requested to see.

This is the dominant reason why I believe Instagram is losing its relevancy.

Trying to be everything all at once

They’re trying to compete with the various other social media apps on the rise, but when will these companies learn that we use specific apps for specific purposes… and stop trying to make Instagram a one-stop-shop for all?

Snapchat arrives, and BAM, Instagram introduces stories. TikTok is booming, and Instagram releases the Reels feature.

And remember when Instagram even tried copying YouTube when it launched the IGTV app? It didn’t last long.

The “Make Instagram Instagram Again” movement

This petition, one of Change.org’s most signed petitions, clearly illustrates the desire for Instagram to return to its roots.

“Make Instagram Instagram Again” Petition | Source

Celebrities such as the Kardashians have voiced their opinions on Instagram, sharing the petition with their large followings.

However, it’s not only celebrities who have complained about Instagram's changes.

Comment on “Make Instagram Instagram Again” Petition | Source
Comment on “Make Instagram Instagram Again” Petition | Source

However, Instagram, which is clearly aware of our wants for the platform, still continues to disagree.

Adam Mosseri, the head of the app, has stated, “We’re going to continue to support photos, but I need to be honest: more and more of Instagram will become video over time.”

Instagram should listen to the requests of its influential users, who possess a significant amount of power. In 2018, when Kylie Jenner tweeted about how Snapchat isn’t what it used to be, the platform lost $1.3 billion within the same week.

Declining reel engagement

What’s funny, though, is that despite Instagram’s attempt to turn into another TikTok and considering they have a more extensive user base, cumulatively, users on Instagram are spending approximately 17.6 million hours a day watching Reels, which is less than 1/10th of the 197.8 million hours Tiktok users spend each day on the platform.

Instagram reel engagement is failing to keep up with TikTok, and it is declining, down 13.6% from the previous month.

This isn’t surprising, though. It’s no secret that the majority of Instagram Reels are recycled TikToks.

Users don’t want to see the same trending video twice.

Still Don’t Believe Me?

These negative changes appear to be reflected in the flatline trend shown in Meta’s quarterly revenue growth graph.

These figures have flatlined for the first time in years, beginning around late 2020.

Meta’s quarterly revenue for the last decade | Source

Instead of having the control to choose what I want to see, it feels like Instagram is choosing for me.

But I know I'm not the only one feeling this way.

Do YOU think this will be the end of Instagram?

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Written by KD Writes

3x Top Writer🏆 All things social media & true crime

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