Instagram has reached 3 billion monthly users while fundamentally reshaping its app to emphasise short-form video and private messaging over the traditional photo feed that originally defined the platform.

The Meta-owned app is redesigning its home screen navigation bar to highlight Reels and direct messaging, reflecting how users actually engage with Instagram today.

More than 50% of time spent on the platform now comes from watching videos, with private messaging the most popular sharing method, followed by disappearing Stories.

Instagram will test opening directly to Reels instead of the traditional feed in India and South Korea starting October, with users able to opt into the change.

The test mirrors the design of Instagram’s newly released iPad app and could expand globally based on user feedback.

“People think of us, they think of a feed of square photos, but that’s just not how people use Instagram and hasn’t been for a long time now,” said Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head, in an interview at Meta’s annual Connect conference.

The India test carries strategic importance as TikTok remains banned in the country, creating an opening for Instagram to dominate short-form video without its primary competitor.

“It’s very possible that TikTok ends up back in India, and so we want to make sure that we are not being complacent in one of our most important countries,” Mosseri explained.

A new algorithm update will allow users to explicitly influence their content recommendations by selecting topics of interest or hiding unwanted content.

Users can specify interests like “mid-century furniture” or “Seattle Mariners” in settings, inspired by users posting “Dear Algorithm” requests for specific content.

The feature leverages Meta’s improved large language models that can automatically identify and label video content more accurately than was possible years ago.

“I don’t think we would have been able to do a good job at this kind of labelling a few years ago,” Mosseri said.

Since Meta acquired Instagram for USD $1 billion in 2012, it has become the company’s most important revenue growth source and key defence against rivals including TikTok, Snap, and X.

The platform’s future faces uncertainty with the US Federal Trade Commission claiming Meta is an illegal monopoly, with a federal court decision expected late 2025 or early 2026 that could potentially force Instagram’s spinoff.

For Australian users, where Instagram remains one of the most popular social platforms, the shift toward video and messaging reflects global usage patterns.

The emphasis on Reels positions Instagram to compete more directly with TikTok, which has gained significant traction among younger Australian demographics.

Mosseri expressed concern about maintaining relevance beyond user metrics, noting Facebook’s 3 billion users but diminished cultural impact, particularly among young people.

“The most likely outcome for a large platform like ours is that we shrink eventually. Or maybe we grow, but we become less culturally relevant,” he said.

The focus remains on whether “culture breaks on Instagram” and if the platform remains “part of the zeitgeist,” rather than purely numerical growth.

This philosophy drives the aggressive push into video and messaging, even at the expense of the photo-sharing roots that built Instagram’s initial success.

Instagram’s evolution from photo-sharing to video-and-messaging platform reflects broader social media trends where private communication and short-form entertainment dominate public posting.

The 3 billion user milestone, matching Facebook’s reach, demonstrates Instagram’s resilience despite intense competition.

For content creators and businesses, the navigation changes signal where to focus efforts, Reels for discovery and reach, direct messages for engagement and conversion.

The traditional grid of curated photos, while still present, continues its decline as a primary growth driver.

The platform’s ability to maintain growth while fundamentally altering its core experience suggests users value Instagram’s network effects and features over nostalgia for its original format.