Entertainment

Instagram pauses new features rollout following online community backlash

Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Chrissy Teigen were among those criticising the changes.
Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Chrissy Teigen were among those criticising the changes. Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Chrissy Teigen were among those criticising the changes.

Instagram says it is pausing its rollout of new features on its app following backlash online from users and celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Chrissy Teigen.

Among the new features was an increase in video content being displayed to users and “recommendations” which were criticised for blocking posts from friends.

Earlier in the week Instagram boss Adam Mosseri posted several videos to Twitter explaining the changes and said he wanted to “continue supporting photos”.

The 94th Academy Awards – Vanity Fair Party – Los Angeles
The 94th Academy Awards – Vanity Fair Party – Los Angeles Celebrities including Kim Kardashian were among those criticising the changes (Doug Peters/PA)

But on Thursday a spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Instagram, said the company wanted to “take the time” to get the changes right.

“Based on our findings and community feedback, we’re pausing the full-screen test on Instagram so we can explore other options, and we’re temporarily decreasing the number of recommendations you see in your feed so we can improve the quality of your experience,” a Meta spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.

“We recognize that changes to the app can be an adjustment, and while we believe that Instagram needs to evolve as the world changes, we want to take the time to make sure we get this right.”

In response to Mosseri’s earlier Twitter video, US model Teigen said that users “don’t wanna make videos” and are seeing lower engagement for photos.

Kardashian and Jenner also shared an online “petition” to “Make Instagram Instagram again” on their stories.