Kylie Jenner joins viral campaign calling on Instagram to “stop trying to be TikTok”
Instagram: Kylie JennerKylie Jenner is now one of the highest profile figures to show her support for the “stop trying to be TikTok” campaign calling on Instagram to go back to its roots as a photo-focused social media platform.
Instagram users have begun a campaign that is asking the platform to preserve its status as a photo-based social media platform rather than increasingly moving towards a format like TikTok.
The initial post calling out the platform has already been liked by millions, with photographers and other influencers also getting on board and sharing the post. However, the campaign is likely to gain much more following now Kylie Jenner has reposted the message.
Jenner is one of the most influential socialites in the world. Her Instagram account has over 360 million followers. It’s fair to say that her public support of this movement is likely to bring a lot more attention to it and get the ball rolling in regards to addressing the issues users are having with the platform.
Reporter Frank Pallotta highlighted the potential ramifications it could have for Instagram if they do not take action: “The last time Kylie Jenner complained about a social media site, Snapchat lost $1.3 [billion].”
What is the “stop trying to be TikTok” campaign?
The now-viral campaign all started when one Instagram user posted on their story.
“Make Instagram Instagram again,” the post reads. “Stop trying to be TikTok I just want to see cute photos of my friends.”
These comments are largely due to the recent emphasis the platform has been placing on its Insta reels section. This area of Instagram largely consists of TikTok videos or those of a similar style. It has now become one of the main features for Instagram.
The campaign is wanting to remove this push and instead have Instagram focus on the image and photography elements that have always been the centrepiece of the app.
This issue began to pick up traction when photographer Tati Bruening shared the post with the added comments of “sincerely, everyone” featured below.
Instagram: IllumitatiHer post has now amassed over 1.2 million likes. On her Instagram story, Bruening also shares a link to a change.org petition that is related to this issue claiming that she is “starting a movement” to bring about change for Instagram.
The petition calls on the platform to bring back old features that were once included in the app. Things such as Chronological timelines and an algorithm that favors photos were highlighted as being two key areas for improvement on Instagram.
Some of those who have signed the petition have reiterated this desire to have Instagram be more photo-focused.
“Instagram is a picture-sharing website at heart. No need for every app to be the exact same… we want to see our friends’ pictures and drawings, not 5-sec videos,” one petitioner said.
The final words of the petition reiterated that this movement is all about wanting the app to revert to its roots. “The goal of this petition is to bring attention to what consumers want from Instagram and to start a conversation surrounding the health of our beloved app.”
The petition currently has over 100,000 signatures with that number continuing to grow at a rapid pace.