'Stop trying to be TikTok': Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner slam Instagram for changes on platform
Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner are not pleased with the changes Meta is making on Facebook and Instagram in order to compete with TikTok. The famous sisters, who frequently share their lavish lives on social media platforms, shared a post on the photo-sharing app that read, "Make Instagram Instagram Again. Stop trying to be TikTok. I just want to see cute photos of my friends. Sincerely, Everyone."
Kylie, a business mogul and social media influencer, has over 360 million Instagram followers, while Kim, a reality TV star and businesswoman, has around 326 million. Both sisters disliked the new changes made on the platform as they jeopardize Instagram's one distinctive feature -- pictures. The post that Kylie and Kim shared on their Instagram Stories is a Change.org petition that has gained more than 50K signatures since the two shared it. In the petition's summary, arguments are made for the restoration of historical timelines, the adoption of an algorithm that prefers photos to videos, and higher regard for the platform's creators.
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Facebook and Instagram have traditionally connected people to content created by their friends, whereas TikTok, a video-based app, uses algorithmic signals and viral content to show viewers highly engaging posts that do not rely on someone's network of friends or connections. Meta is making changes to Instagram in order to appeal to younger users who may be drawn to TikTok.
Lol oh no kim tweeted it too…. pic.twitter.com/naf5OPK9gt
— Ashley Carman (@ashleyrcarman) July 25, 2022
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri revealed more information about the changes. "Now, I want to be clear: we're going to continue to support photos — it's a part of our heritage, you know," Mosseri stated. "That said, I need to be honest — I do believe that more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time. We see this even if we change nothing."
"If you look at what people like and consume and view on Instagram, that's also shifting more and more to video over time, even when we stop changing anything," Mosseri said. "So we're going to have to lean into that shift while continuing to support photos," he added.
Many other well-known Instagram users, besides Kim and Kylie, don't appear to like Instagram's decision to prioritize short-form videos known as Reels. James Charles, a YouTuber who specializes in beauty, said, "The reason there's so much growth for video is because we are being FORCED to post video. The performance of our photos has tanked more than 90% so creators are switching to video not because they want to, but because we're being told that it’s the only chance to grow. The shift to video is not industry wide, it's TikTok-wide."
"PLEASE listen to everyone that is speaking up; moms, kids, small creators, large creators, businesses, and now A-list celebrities too. We’re upset because we CARE about this app and the communities we’ve been able to create/join on here, but I’m genuinely worried that if something doesn’t change, there will be no community left. ❤️ Thank you for your video Adam," Charles concluded.
If Kylie Jenner speaks it, your platform is in trouble. Never forget snap losing over $1 billion when she said she didn’t open Snapchat anymore (in 2018) bc of the redesign pic.twitter.com/jkmAuWoFen
— Ashley Carman (@ashleyrcarman) July 25, 2022
The Kardashian-Jenner family wields tremendous influence on social media. According to Insider, Snap Inc's stock dropped more than 8 per cent in 2018 after Kylie tweeted that she no longer used Snapchat due to the app's redesign. Snapchat's market value had dropped by more than $1 billion at the time.
Meta is redesigning its social media platforms in the hopes of replicating the success of TikTok, a ByteDance-owned video-sharing app with 655.9 million users worldwide. TikTok's growth has been unprecedented in recent years. Analysts predict that its ad revenue will surpass that of YouTube by 2024. It generated more ad revenue than Snapchat in 2021.