A Meta Inc. spokeswoman announced today that Instagram boss, Adam Mosseri, plans to locate to London temporarily to help reinforce operations in the region
The spokeswoman reported that the aim of this move is to increase the global expansion of Instagram by attracting a greater number of quality creators to earn their living from contributing to the platform.
It is an interesting time for such an announcement as the Head of Instagram continues to diffuse the backlash generated over the past week in response to Instagram’s plans to increase its interface and feed to become more like rival, TikTok.
Photo credit: The Verge
Countering TikTok
Rationale for the London move has been attributed to the office being the second largest engineering hub for Meta outside of its U.S. headquarters with more than 4000 employees located there.
As TikTok continues to lead the way in downloads and user adoption with the teenage market, once the core audience demographic for Instagram, how this move plays out in terms of Instagram’s evolution will be anyone’s guess.
What is apparent in the negative response from Instagram users regarding its plans to become more like TikTok is that the platform is clearly not listening to its loyal fans.
Instagram’s usual strategy of adopting the features of other platforms to prevent its current users from going elsewhere, may not be as effective as it once was.
Instagram introduced Stories as a direct defensive tactic to prevent scores of users moving to Snapchat.
It continued using this strategy by adding features such as live video and most famously (and recently) creating Reels when India banned TikTok and the former U.S. President, Donald Trump, threatened to do the same.
This recent backlash demonstrates that Instagram users are tired of the platform attempting to retain their interest by increasing its similarity with other social media sites.
Rather than imitation, it seems Instagram users want both innovation and familiarity to ensure Instagram maintains its uniqueness, rather than becoming more homogenous and generic.
This move by Instagram boss, Adam Mosseri to London could be the perfect opportunity for Instagram to assess what its users really want so it can differentiate itself again in the social media landscape.
– Karen Sutherland, University of the Sunshine Coast, contributed to this report.
Dr Karen Sutherland is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast where she designs and delivers social media education and research. Dr Sutherland is also the Co-Founder and Social Media Specialist at Dharana Digital marketing agency focused on helping people working in the health and wellness space.
Deepfakes are the online phenomenon changing the way in which we consume and trust social media
Have you ever scrolled through social media and found a celebrity selling something a bit left of centre?
Chances are you have fallen victim to a deepfake.
These images and videos are a type of artificial intelligence, which promises to create doctored videos, which are almost impossible to tell apart from the real thing.
They have typically been used in pornographic clips and for celebrity endorsements.
Harry has long spoken out about his anger over press intrusion, which he blames for his mother’s death
Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and her mother were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi photographers in New York.
The incident took place after they left the Ms. Foundation for Women, where Meghan was honoured for her work.
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers,” said Prince Harry’s spokesperson.
The chase involved paparazzi driving on the sidewalk, running red lights and driving while taking pictures.
“I thought that was a bit reckless and irresponsible,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said.
Harry has long spoken out about his anger over press intrusion, which he blames for his mother’s death.
Princess Diana was killed when her limousine crashed as it sped away from chasing paparazzi in Paris in 1997.
Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal duties in 2020, partly over what they described as intense media harassment.
Harry is currently involved in numerous court cases in London where he has accused papers of using unlawful methods to target him and his family.
He says talks are being held in the film industry about how to protect actors from the effects of the technology.
Hanks told the host: “I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but performances can go on and on and on and on.”
The award-winning actor acknowledged that tech developments could lead to an AI-generated version of himself appearing in films he may not not normally choose.