Instagram struggles against TikTok competition

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When Adam Mosseri became head of Instagram in 2018, the app was facing serious problems. 

Fewer people were using it or spending time on it, and part of the blame was on the rise of TikTok, which quickly grabbed users’ attention. 

By 2019, Instagram estimated that nearly a quarter of the drop in time spent on the platform was due to TikTok. 

As the pandemic hit in early 2020, TikTok kept growing, and Mosseri warned his team that Instagram needed to adapt quickly or risk becoming irrelevant.

Mosseri shared this story in court while testifying in an antitrust case against Meta, Instagram’s parent company. (Via: The Verge)

The US government claims Meta unfairly controls the market for social networking, pointing to apps like Snapchat, but not TikTok or YouTube, as true competitors. 

Mosseri’s testimony suggested Instagram still focuses heavily on helping people connect with friends, which could support the idea that it dominates a specific type of social network.

Since 2020, Instagram has made progress, especially by improving its Reels feature using AI, which competes directly with TikTok. 

Interestingly, as Instagram became more like TikTok, TikTok also started acting more like Instagram, even trying to get people to share and watch videos from friends. 

Still, only a small percentage of TikTok videos are watched this way, according to other testimony.

Meta has said that keeping up with rivals has forced it to shift focus away from personal connections.

But Mosseri insisted that friendships are still a key part of Instagram. In 2024, he even said long videos wouldn’t work on the app because they’re not as good for sharing with friends.

Mosseri also spoke about the tensions between Instagram and Facebook leadership over the years. As someone who worked at both companies, he understood both sides. 

In the end, he said the partnership worked out well: Instagram got resources to grow, and Facebook gained creative minds. 

He called it one of the best business deals ever, saying both companies benefited a lot from the relationship.

Do you think Instagram can do better against TikTok? Are there any changes you would like Instagram to make? We want to hear from you below in the comments, or via our Twitter or Facebook.