Instagram Update Refocuses On Shop And Reels

Today a massive update for Instagram is in effect. Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram revealed that they'd be making some "big changes" to the platform, focusing on two tabs for all users. One is Reels, the other is Shop. The refocus in Instagram may well change the social network forever.

Per Mosseri, the Reels tab "makes it easier for you to discover short, fun videos from creators all over the world and people just like you." In other words, you'll be drawn in by similar interests and your friends, and you'll stay for the influencers. That should feed in well for the other new focus: Shop.

The Instagram Shop tab is described in a way quite similar to that of the Reels tab. Per Mosseri, the Shop tab "gives you a better way to connect with brands and creators and discover products you love."

These changes will seem relatively major for users that've not been using Reels or Shop in Instagram before. Mosseri suggested today that the team at Instagram doesn't "take these changes lightly," acknowledging that Instagram hasn't been given a major redesign like this "for quite a while."

A key for those that aren't particularly excited about the change came with Mosseri's comment, "we'll continue listening to your feedback so we can keep improving Instagram for you."

It'll be interesting to see how the big update today for Android and iOS changes the way users see the content they've been seeing for the past few years. The last time Instagram made a major change, there was quite a bit of blowback (as can be expected with any major change in a social platform as big as this), but growth continued.

Just so long as the timeline continues to show content in chronological order, right? What'll the Instagram algorithm do next?