Instagram Scrolls Back TikTok-Inspired Changes

Unless you're purposely taking time off all things internet and news, you've probably heard the latest controversy around Instagram's TikTok-inspired changes –– the hotly debated "TikTokization." There are plenty of opinions and a lot of speculation on what Meta will decide to do next. But for now, many changes are being rolled back.

It wasn't just the storm of users who expressed their dismau in petitions and viral tweets. No, Instagram's own data demonstrated that the changes were unpopular. Users weren't positive about the Instagram feed in a full-screen version, nor were they happy with the amount of recommended content from accounts they weren't following. But recommended content isn't gone –– or even lessened for good –– and will reach around 30% by 2023. One reason is that users share more videos and pictures in private or group DMs than in stories, and the least sharing is happening within the feed. Meta also isn't done going down the path of Reels, as they see it as a growing revenue source that could monetize near Feed levels. And Meta-owned Instagram needs new revenue sources. Meta reported its first decline in quarterly revenue in the second quarter of 2022 when its net income went down 36%.

But what do Gen Zers have to say about these changes? We have sparkling new stats on all things Gen Z and Instagram's TikTokization.

Gen Z values authenticity

When Knit wrote about the rise of TikTok earlier, we mentioned the utter importance of authenticity for Gen Z. Knit's CEO, Aneesh Dhawan, spoke with Cheddar News about the recent Instagram changes and Gen Z and offered great insight. He said that "It's important for b rands to understand this generation and what their needs are. Users may be less receptive because they don't like Instagram trying to be something it's not." Authenticity is indeed part of what has given TikTikers mainstream stardom. And keeping it real is the name of the game for social media in general for Gen Zers because they have a different relationship with technology than other generations. "As digital natives, we are acutely sensitive to any changes on social media platforms, more so than perhaps other generations," Dhawan pointed out.

So, what does it mean for Instagram to be authentic according to Gen Z? Knit's Dhawan has some very poignant observations. "My generation loves Instsagram because you can follow your friends, keep up with your community, and see what people you care about are doing," he said in the interview. "If Instagram goes the way of TikTok –– it's moving further away from what this generation loves for it. Instead, the platform should lean into its strengths that made it popular in the first place."

“If Instagram goes the way of TikTok––it’s moving further away from what this next generation loves it for. Instead, the platform should lean into its strengths that made it popular in the first place.”

The changes to Instagram did not go unnoticed by Gen Z Gen Z certainly paid attention to the changes to Instagram. As many as 62.6% of Gen Zers noticed it. The reaction to those changes was a bit more diverse. Of our Gen Zers, 50.7% viewed the changes as very favorable or somewhat favorable, while 25.4% saw them as unfavorable or somewhat unfavorable. The picture gets even more interesting when our Gen Zers answered how adding/changing new features would affect how they use the platform. 38.8% said they's use it the same amount, but 31.3% said they'd use it less, and the amount who'd use it more was a little lower at 29.9%. You can see why Instagram might struggle to find the right balance between incorporating change and staying authentic to its original brand.

Instagram vs TikTok usage

We asked our Gen Z resondents what social media platforms they use regularly. Which one do you think was the most mentioned? We're not going to keep up the suspense for long. The answer is Instagram. So, if you thought it was all about TikTok, well it's not. 90.7% of Gen Z mentioned Instagram and 77.6% TikTok. Sitting in third was Snapchat at 72.9%, but that's not our focus for today.

Interesting tidbit: 9.3% of our Gen Zers said they spend over five hours on TikTok on an average day. That number was significantly lower for Instagram (2.8%). In general, our respondents spent more time on TikTok than on Instagram. Over half (52.3%) said they spent one hour or more on TikTok on an average day, but that number went down to 43% for Instagram. So, although Instagram is used more regularly by Gen Z, they don't scroll as much on it. Yet another fascinating dichotomy.

Why Gen Z thinks TikTok is better than Reels

The usage of video on social media has increased. In fact, the time spent engaging with Reels has gone up 30% across Instagram and Facebook. But do Reels hold up to TikTok, and what does Gen Z really think?

Well, almost half (49.5%) of our respondents like TikTok better than Reels, and only 14.9% prefer Reels. Ouch. It doesn't get better when asked if they agree that TikTok is more relevant than Reels amongst people their age. 74.8% strongly agree or somewhat agree with this statement and as little as 4.6% feel the opposite.

Gen Z also made it clear in their answers that they see a lot of content that goes viral on TikTok-copied Reels. As many as 83.2% have notices that to be the case. 71.1% also strongly agree or somewhat agree that Reels can't keep up with how fast trends come and go on TikTok.

But there are things that Gen Z likes more about Reels that TikTok. They find the community less toxic, the quality better and Instagram to be more adult-ish. When they use TikTok, they do it for the content they find to be more diverse and better, to catch trends, and because it was more personalized. And then there is the stubborn statement that keeps coming up: Reels content is just copied from TikTok.

Interested in more insights about Gen Z and social media? Seeking how to authentically connect with this new generation? Knit has the answers you need. Reach out to us to scroll forward with success.