According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, this growth is mainly driven by direct messaging, video, and recommendations. As a result, the company plans to keep focusing on these features over the next few months and shift the app further in that direction.
However, while short videos and recommendations have fueled Instagram’s expansion, they have also sparked frustration among users who prefer seeing content only from the accounts they follow.
To address these concerns, Mosseri revealed that Instagram will begin testing a feature that allows users to adjust the recommendation algorithm. For example, if the app suggests topics like football or photography based on your activity, but you lose interest in them, you’ll soon be able to remove those categories from your feed.
Additionally, Instagram plans to update the bottom navigation bar, replacing the “Create” (upload) button with a shortcut for direct messages.