Instagram Makes a Change You May Not Like

The popular app's interface is getting yet another change.

Popular social media websites and apps rarely stay the same for long, as their creators are always looking for ways to maximize their profits.

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have done so many times over the years, and often in ways their users don't like. 

Since the microblogging site was acquired by Tesla  (TSLA) - Get Free Report boss Elon Musk in late 2022, it has added features in a seemingly sporadic manner, enforcing paid verification and tacking an icon to each tweet that shows how popular it is.

Instagram has made a major shift towards video in light of TikTok's format becoming so enormously popular, with Instagram head Adam Mosseri saying in a 2021 video he posted that it was "no longer a photo sharing app".

And while people kvetch about Meta's  (META) - Get Free Report Facebook left and right, the platform is still the most-used of all its competitors, so even Mark Zuckerberg's death grip on his metaverse vision isn't enough to keep people from logging in to check out their feeds.

Now Meta is making a new change to the way Instagram works -- and it's one that doesn't make a whole lot of sense once you take a closer look.

Instagram Pulls The Shopping Tab

In summer of 2020, the Instagram blog announced a new way to use the then-photo sharing site. 

Simply called Shop, the new section was designed as an easy way for users to shop for things they might like. Based on the accounts a user follows and things they like and comment on, the feed allowed users to purchase directly on Instagram, rather than leave the app to visit the website of the business they were buying from.

Now, Facebook has updated the information on its own site to reflect changes coming in February -- and one of them is that the Shop tab is going away.

"Starting in February, we are changing Instagram’s navigation to make it easier for people to share and connect with their friends and interests," the page reads. 

"The navigation bar at the bottom of the app will now have the shortcut for creating content in the center and Reels to the right.

As part of this change, the Instagram Shop tab will be removed. You will still be able to set up and run your shop on Instagram as we continue to invest in shopping experiences that provide the most value for people and businesses across feed, stories, reels, ads and more."

Why Shop's Tab Is Being Ditched

Back in November 2021, Instagram announced that 44% of people used Shop to buy items on the platform weekly. By September 2022, data showed that 70% of people opened Instagram to shop.

Why, then, is the feature being moved to the backseat? The answer is simple: Reels are the priority.

Since launching Reels in August 2020, the new content format has lead all other short-form video apps in average engagement, with 91% of a survey of 4500 users saying they watch Reels weekly.

And with government officials calling for TikTok to be banned in the U.S. and individual states banning the app, it's the perfect time for Instagram to put Reels front and center