Instagram boss Adam Mosseri vowed Tuesday that the social app will “rethink what Instagram is” in 2022. In a video posted to Twitter, Mosseri said Instagram will focus on greater transparency in the New Year, among other goals. He didn’t directly address any of the past year’s scandals that rocked Instagram and parent company Meta (formerly known as Facebook).
“We’re thinking about who we are, what we value and what kind of change we want to affect in the world,” Mosseri said.
Instagram was lashed by intensifying scandals in 2021, including allegations it disregarded the scope of its toxicity for many teen users. In September, The Wall Street Journal — citing Instagram’s and Facebook’s own internal research — reported that Facebook was well aware of the harm Instagram was having on teenagers, especially on teen girls’ mental health. That report, and a wave of others, sparked multiple congressional hearings targeting Instagram and other social apps, including a hearing at which Mosseri was called to testify. Instagram has said the Journal mischaracterized the purpose and findings of the research on teens, calling the assertion that Instagram is “toxic” inaccurate.
On Tuesday, Mosseri said goals for 2022 include consolidating all of Instagram’s video-sharing efforts around Reels, its TikTok-rival product; further embracing private messaging; and improving ways for Instagram creators to earn a living on the app.
Without directly addressing criticisms, he said Instagram would work on more personal controls and on widening transparency. “We think it’s important that people understand how Instagram works, if they’re going to shape it into what they want, or what’s best for them,” he said.
