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Instagram's unskippable ads test causes outrage among users

Instagram has long been accused of stealing features from platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitter/X. It appears that the company has looked to YouTube for its latest idea: unskippable ads that you have to watch for a period of time before being able to scroll further.

A Redditor posted images of the Instagram ad breaks. FireCubX writes that users will suddenly find they have hit the bottom of their feed, so to speak, and can’t scroll down any further. An “ad break” icon will appear with a countdown timer that prevents users from browsing through more content until they view an ad, at which point the counter starts running down.

I’m happy I only have a lemmy account

helenslunch ,
@helenslunch@feddit.nl avatar

And zero fucks were given about said outrage because none of them stopped using the platform or watching ads. Same story as ever.

PlasticHam ,

advertising was spawned in the devils butt hole, go to hell advertisers

Kekzkrieger ,

People will get outraged, scream for a bit and then accept it and keep using the service.

The additional ad-revenue will outscale the few users that quit by far and thus enshittification continues.

Tho i guess we should be happy for the few that escape the shothole instagram because social media is cancer anyways.

hiramfromthechi ,
@hiramfromthechi@lemmy.world avatar

Thoughts and takeaways, plus 3 viable solutions:

Thoughts

1️⃣ I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Enshittification might be a good thing. Here’s why

I don’t “like” that things have gotten this bad, but I do like that the worse things get, the more we can collectively organize and pressure reform to fix these things.

2️⃣ These tests are usually run on relatively small subsets of the user base. Remember when they rolled out hiding likes? That was rolled out periodically as well.

They typically also run different types of user bases. They already know the hardcore “influencers” and people who have built a public following will never leave the platform, since they’re too invested already, and are the people/publications that contribute the most to network effects. I.e., you’re on there because they’re on there.

3️⃣ Remember when Tim Kendall (former executive at Facebook) says that they talked about Zuckerberg having ultimate control over these 3 distinct goals?

  1. Engagement: Drive up your usage. Keep you scrolling, liking, commenting, and remaining active on the platform.
  2. Growth: Encouraging you to keep coming back and inviting your friends, and getting them to invite their friends, and so on.
  3. Advertising: Make sure that as growth and engagement are happening, advertising revenue is maximized.

That’s what’s happening here—this is dial #3 being turned up.

Solutions

1. The most obvious: Delete your account

I know, I know—network effects are tough to break.

Tell your friends and family to delete theirs. Make yourself unreachable on Facebook-owned platforms.

Most people are posting less as traditional posts, and more as stories. If stories is your thing, Signal has stories. This is a really secure, private, and still convenient way to share whatever you want throughout the day.

If your favorite restaurant changes your dish’s recipe, you’d prolly stop going, right? Well, that recipe’s been changing, and we continue to put up with it despite an increasingly worse product.

2. For those looking for an alternative: Use Pixelfed

It doesn’t have nearly the same type of content or user base size that Instagram does. But the same way that we built Facebook little by little, the same can be done for healthier alternative platforms.

This might also help your reduction in using social media, if you’re looking for that.

3. For those who can’t/will never leave Instagram: Use an open source native mobile app (Android-specific)

If you have an Android-based mobile operating system, there are apps like MyInsta and Instander that give you a native Instagram experience while blocking all of the ads.

They also have app-specific settings that allow you to customize your Instagram experience even further, such as (but limited to):

  • Downloading photos/reels/entire carousels
  • Reduces data sent to Instagram (analytics, ads, and other requests)
  • Ghost mode
  • Block reels, posts, stories, explore, comments, or whatever else
  • Tons more

I run a basketball media outlet (InThePaintCrew) and a lifestyle/photography page (LifeViaChicago), and being able to modify the experience to remove the noise/clutter when a native Instagram app is needed is helpful.

LordCrom ,

Think of how much time I get back in my life if my wife couldn’t send me 50 reels everyday

jjjalljs ,

People need to stop using Instagram.

9488fcea02a9 ,

They cant. Its an addiction or stockholm syndrome

Crampon ,

I don’t get it. I go to Instagram a couple of times a day. I start scrolling. The third post is something I haven’t followed or liked. Then the fourth, and the fifth. So I close the app. I spend like 5 minuter there daily. The whole discover page is just filled with trash I have no interest for.

Sure I enjoy climbing. But I don’t care for videos of people tying knots or lightly dressed chicks doing some low grade bouldering. Why does the app think it’s better than me?

technocrit ,

People need to stop banning alternatives.

jjjalljs ,

I’m out of the loop. What?

iarigby ,

Many say they would stop using the app entirely if the ads become widespread.

oh don’t threaten me with good time. It would be amazing if my friends would be forced to stop using instagram so I would not be forced to log in just to catch up on stories or keep in touch

CerealHunter4xcr4k ,

Just to catch up

Jesus what a sad personality

iarigby ,

wait what? how is that sad?

Usernameblankface ,
@Usernameblankface@lemmy.world avatar

What’s the difference? Most of what’s on there is an ad for something. A lifestyle, a look, a road trip destination, a festival, a food.

Corkyskog ,

It breaks the scrolling, breaking user experience.

Track_Shovel ,

Their algorithm is already abrasive enough. I routinely find myself following people I did not elect to follow. Throw some stupid adds in there, to just make it worse…

yournamehere ,

ah, one gotta love the enshittification

cmgvd3lw ,

One sad reality with moving on from these sites is that you really become “out of the loop” of what is currently happening with your circle. They all are sharing, posting about what happening and there is simply no way of knowing that. I recently experienced this and was a bit painful.

cyberpunk007 ,

At some point I realized who my true “circle” was. I think I deleted facebook in 2011 or something. That made me realize I really did not give a shit about what someone I went to school with is doing. Am I ever going to see them again? Probably not. Do I actually care? I guess not. My real circle I still keep in touch with, talk on the phone, visit, message. I don’t need these garbage apps to do this.

AllNewTypeFace ,
@AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space avatar

Nonetheless, they’ll probably get away with it, because other than among a handful of autistic furries, there’s no demand for non-algorithmic, non-enshittified social networks.

The celebrities and brand-builders who use Instagram to grow their brand aren’t switching to Pixelfed or Misskey because, without algorithms boosting them, there’s no clout to be had. Artists, indie bands, vintage clothing sellers and other self-marketers are staying put for similar reasons. (Basically, if your goal is “self-promote at scale and hope to make ends meet” rather than “find a handful of weird friends with the same kind of damage as you”, the fediverse is worse than useless: it’s lost time and effort with nothing to show for it.) Your normie friends, who want to keep up with their favourite pop stars and tattoo artists and have a busy schedule without an extra 15 minutes a day for a social network few people use, aren’t going to add Pixelfed to their dopamine loops.

auzas_1337 ,

As sad as it is, this is the realest take in the thread.

Honestly, I’ve no idea what could dislodge the current social media giants. X [now XXX] seems to be doing a decent enough job at losing users, but besides that cesspit of a site, there are no indicators that the others are going anywhere anytime soon.

Facebook might be the next in line after X tho, just because the user base will literally die off.

solsangraal ,

they’re stress testing the user base. they don’t give half a flying fuck how outraged you are. they only care about whether you’ll quit the platform. which you won’t.

Codilingus ,

“We have determined that we’ll be able to fill 80% of the user’s display with advertising before inducing seizures.”

From Ready Player One movie.

helenslunch ,
@helenslunch@feddit.nl avatar

Exactly. They’re past the point of bringing in new users. Now they’re just focusing on extracting more value from the ones they already have.

mypasswordis1234 ,
@mypasswordis1234@lemmy.world avatar

But users are too addicted to “traditional” social media, so no matter what happens they won’t stop using it.

They complain a little and stop there.

BestBouclettes ,

Isn’t that standard practice nowadays? You push an outrageous thing to test the reactions, then you pull back and then you push something similar but toned down to be more acceptable. A while later you incrementally move towards your initial plan.

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