[imagesource: Alexander Spatari / Getty Images]

I would say that Instagram, as a whole, is so 2021. Clearly, others don’t feel the same way.

Exit social media, free yourself, get out while you still can!

Or, you know, share food snaps and pictures of sunsets, your pets (I’ll let those slide), and your children. I’m sure they won’t feel any resentment at all about having their childhood shared with strangers on the internet.

Anyway, let me assume at this point that if you’re still here you don’t find Instagram to be a vapid hellhole. Let us then carry on with this story about how Instagram’s algorithm change is hurting the food industry.

Here’s The New York Times:

Since Instagram arrived in 2010, sharing food photos, writing a thoughtful caption and adding relevant hashtags have been the foundation of many small food businesses’ social media strategy, and a low-cost form of advertising.

Then, at the end of 2021, Instagram’s parent company, Meta, changed the platform’s algorithm to prioritize videos, called Reels.

Accounts that don’t regularly post the short-form videos appear below those that have embraced the format in users’ Instagram feeds, resulting in a notable drop in engagement on posts — and, in turn, sales — for many small businesses.

Smaller businesses now have to fight harder than ever before (or pay for sponsored posts) in order to reach potential customers.

That doesn’t bother the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, who stated late last year that the social media platform is “no longer just a photo-sharing app”.

What he doesn’t say out loud is that this is clearly a move designed to stop users from fleeing to TikTok, which has exploded in popularity in recent years.

Snapping a picture and writing a caption is a cheap art form. Putting together a captivating short video is not:

Instagram tells its users that successful Reels are high-quality; use text, filters and camera effects; are set to music and trending sounds; and are “entertaining and fun,” featuring content that “delights people, grabs their attention, makes them laugh or has a fun surprise or twist.”

Ironically, the algorithm stifling reach on Instagram has led to many of these smaller businesses shifting their focus to TikTok.

The big drawback there is that TikTok doesn’t have the same level of integrated shopping features that Instagram does.

Another factor to consider is Apple’s privacy update that allows people to opt out from apps like Instagram tracking their data on their phone.

As Robb Report points out, this makes both Instagram and Facebook far less effective at targeting customers:

Instagram’s parent company, Meta, expects to take a $10 billion hit to its ad business this year because of Apple’s change. And the hurt is being passed onto prospective advertisers, with it costing up to 10 times more to acquire a new customer through paid ads on Instagram…

That means companies like Diaspora Co. [a spice company which credits Instagram for its initial growth] can’t really just turn on some ad spending to try to counteract the negative effects of the algorithm change. It may just be that Instagram can’t be as important to these companies’ business models anymore.

I feel for the small businesses affected.

Nobody deserves to be forced to use TikTok to make a living.

We live in strange times.

#nofilter.

[sources:nytimes&robbreport]