Instagram head admits platform showed users too many videos last year

Adam Mosseri said Meta social media platform Instagram has since 'balanced'

Instagram head Adam Mosseri admitted Friday that the social media platform was "overfocused" on video last year after controversy over the shift away from images evoked criticism from some of its biggest users. 

Speaking in a weekly Q&A, he noted that a "number of photographers" have been upset – although photos are still a valued part of it. 

"I think we were overfocused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos," he said. 

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"We’ve since balanced, so things like how often someone likes photos versus videos and how often someone comments on photos versus videos are roughly equal, which is a good sign that things are balanced. And so, to the degree that there is more video on Instagram over time, it’s going to be because that’s what’s driving overall engagement more," Mosseri explained, adding that he wanted to be "very clear" that photos would always be important. 

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The Instagram app and logo

A photo taken on March 14, 2022, shows the U.S. social network Instagram logo on a smartphone screen. (AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Mosseri came under fire in 2022 since it began testing a TikTok-style redesign that eventually led Instagram to rethink the overhaul. 

Adam Mosseri

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testifies at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., on Dec. 8, 2021.  (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian had both called, in stories, to "make Instagram Instagram again."

The Instagram Reels logo and TikTok logo

Instagram Reels and TikTok logos displayed on a phone screens are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on Nov. 2, 2021.  (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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However, the video push has continued and, in July, all videos on the Meta platform became Reels.