After a year of a lot of controversies regarding Instagram, CEO Adam Mosseri has now shared what will be the app’s key priorities in 2022.

To remain relevant, Instagram will double down on its focus on video. This means you can expect many more Reels functions and a timeline that prioritizes videos over any other content. This change comes with TikTok still growing year over year while being the only app that is not from Meta to have more than 3 billion downloads globally.

It’s important to notice that in October, Instagram said that “Video” was the new home for IGTV, feed videos, and live streams. As of now, this feature appears right beside Reels, but maybe the company is still planning to integrate all of its video formats, as none of its apps that weren’t Instagram took off, just like Threads.

Two important themes were video, our focus on Reels, starting to consolidate our video format and build new creative tools, and control, giving people more ways to shape Instagram into what’s best for them with things like the sensitive content control, with the ability to hide like counts, with extending hidden words to DMs.

(…) We’re going to double down on our focus on video, we’re no longer just a photo-sharing app, and consolidate all of our video formats around Reels and continue to grow that product.

Another focus on Instagram in 2022 will be transparency. Even though people still find this claim sketchy, Mosseri has pushed forward to inform people how Instagram works. Early this year, he published stories about the app’s algorithm and introduced new control features – after that Instagram for kids controversy, of course. Mosseri says:

Unfortunately, the long-awaited iPad app for Instagram is nowhere to be heard from Mosseri. You can watch his full video of priorities for 2022 here.

We’re going to not only double down on our work on controls, but expand into doing more around transparency. We think it’s important that people understand how Instagram works if they’re going to shape it into what they want or what’s best for them.

What do you think of these changes on Instagram? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

2022 Priorities 📝

This next year is going to be pivotal for Instagram. In addition to our industry-leading safety and wellbeing efforts, we’re focused on these four key priorities.

Hope you’re all able to get some rest over the holidays. See you in the New Year! ✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/iY8uQ1EnMZ

— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) December 28, 2021