‪Instagram Adopts New TikTok Like Algorithm To Boost Small Content Creators‬

But this is not the first time Meta has tinkered with Instagram – and there is no guarantee it will work, for creators or audiences.

Katy Cowan, who runs Creative Boom – a Manchester-based platform for design creatives – told the BBC this has been “a kick in the teeth” for smaller creators.

She thinks the changes may come “too late” for those frustrated by frequent platform and algorithmic changes.

“I think people are just sick and tired of Instagram changing things,” she said.

“I love Instagram and it’s where I built my audience but the constant fluctuations in reach and stifled growth have made it not worth the investment in time,” wrote film-maker Travis Meadors on Meta’s app for text posts, Threads.

Under the changes in coming months, “aggregator” accounts that repeatedly post content they did not create, or make material edits to, will not be included in areas of the app where they are recommended to users, such as in Explore or Reels feeds.

Instagram will also “reward” original creators by replacing a duplicate of a video with its original in recommendations where it finds multiple versions.

This will not apply to content which is remixed or edited to become a meme or parody, it says.

It will also apply labels attributing original creators on reposted content.

“It takes a lot of time and effort to create original content, so those who create it should get credit and distribution even when it is reposted by other accounts,” Instagram said.

Instagram says creators will be notified when Reels featuring or reposting their content are replaced with their own, original content in recommendations.

Meta is not the only social media firm revamping its offering in the face of TikTok’s travails.

Popular live-streaming platform Twitch – which is owned by Amazon – has also just rolled out its own TikTok-style short video feed to all users.

The “Discovery Feed” on Twitch’s mobile app will provide users with a personalised, scrollable blend of clips and live streams to “help viewers find content to enjoy quickly and help streamers get discovered, even when they’re not live”.

Whether these changes are what creators – and customers – actually want is less clear, says Kate Cowan.

Many are now looking to other platforms such as LinkedIn for an audience.

Some, she says, feel the key to reaching people in the future may even lie with approaches from the past, and a” humble return to traditional marketing” such as in-person events and meet-ups.