Bad news, Instagram fans. The service made its Shop and Reel tabs official this morning, meaning for those who weren’t in the beta, you’ll soon see an updated user interface when opening the app, one that adds a couple new things for you to look at.
Let me quickly go over Reels, that way I can spend the majority of this post complaining about how Instagram sucks compared to how it used to be.
Reels is Instagram’s answer to TikTok. For those who enjoy watching short video clips or making said clips, this tab is now your dedicated space for viewing and sharing that content. Announced earlier this year, it appears that you can create up to 15 seconds worth of clips, with Instagram providing all of the editing software you might need to make them shine.
Now, let’s talk about what’s bullsh*t. This Shop tab. You know what, I’m all for a dedicated space for the spam that is sponsored posts on Instagram, but even with the launch of this dedicated tab, users are still shown sponsored posts in their main feed. It’s as if the service is just one giant crummy commercial now, which when you look back at what Instagram used to be, is sad and really stinks. I probably don’t even have to describe what the Shop tab is to you, but if you haven’t booted up IG in a while, I can describe it in two words: Clothes and influencers. Two things I can’t stand.
Anyway, I’ll continue my boycott of Instagram and Facebook for the foreseeable future. Be on the lookout for this update, those who still use it.
Google Play Link