This new detail on Instagram changes everything

When you get used to using a social network, every minor change can have the effect of a bomb. With 2.4 billion monthly active users, Instagram has to be careful when it comes to scaling the platform. Formerly dedicated to images and photos, the social network which belongs to Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp) has gradually transformed into a video platform, in particular thanks to the appearance of Reels and stories.

This weekend, you won’t be fooled if you think your profile has changed: Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, announced in Story that the presentation of profiles would gradually become rectangular, in place of the old square configuration. We were able to confirm this change on our application and in our profile: a small text clarifies that the grid has changed proportion and we actually see all our content stretching in height.

The profile grid was perhaps the last legacy of the original Instagram, which built its identity around square photos. In the age of vertical videos, this layout no longer made much sense. It no longer even conformed to the layout of the stream, which had also been in portrait format for a long time. This update is welcome, because it makes it possible to harmonize the formats and the way they are displayed in the application.

Collateral damage: “puzzle” posts

The fact remains that a category of users will be able to complain on social networks this weekend: those who have abused publications in puzzle format. Using the very standardized limits of photos on Instagram in the profile, it was possible to publish several in a row in order to create a large image, over 3, 6, or even 9 blocks. These creations, which were based on a very specific format, are now less well aligned on the sides. We were able to see this on the “ikigaicreations” account, which had made the technique a trademark.