The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reignited its antitrust battle against Meta, bringing to the forefront a provocative question:"Is Instagram still a social media platform?"
1. The Decline of the Social in Social Media
According to the FTC’s latest filings, Instagram no longer functions as a social network in the traditional sense. Recent data backs up this assertion:
Only 7% of user time on Instagram is spent viewing friends' content
A joint study by Apptopia and Sensor Tower found that just 7% of Instagram users’time goes toward content from people they actually follow — friends, family, or close connections.
Instead, a whopping 89% of time is spent on algorithmically recommended content: Reels, Explore, and ads.Reels engagement has surged by 270% from 2023 to 2025
Meta has systematically prioritized short-form video and algorithmic distribution over chronological friend feeds.Only 26% of users say Instagram is for “connecting with friends”
A 2024 Pew Research study revealed that the majority of users now view Instagram as a place to“discover content, creators, or brands,”not to maintain social relationships.
In the FTC’s words:
“Instagram’s core functionality has shifted from facilitating human connection to serving content consumption driven by monetization.”
2. Instagram’s Social DNA Is Being Rewritten by Algorithms
Instagram used to be:
A chronological timeline
Focused on real-life sharing
Driven by people you chose to follow
Today’s Instagram looks like this:
A feed dominated by strangers and AI suggestions
Heavily commercialized and brand-centric
Prioritizing short-form videos and viral audio
Constant prompts to“boost,”“reach more people,”or“go live and earn”
What was once a photo-sharing app between friends is now a content marketplace.
3. The Great Migration – Why Are People Abandoning Instagram for Socializing?
Instagram’s "social" identity is fading fast. User behavior shows three key trends:
The "friendship recession": Organic posts from regular users fell 40% (Hootsuite 2023), as the algorithm favors influencers and brands.
Gen Z’s exodus: 62% of U.S. users aged 18-24 say Instagram no longer feels like a place to connect with friends (Piper Sandler), shifting to BeReal and Snapchat instead.
Search > Scrolling: 30% of Gen Z now manually search for friends’posts because they rarely appear naturally (Morning Consult).
Real-life example:
Emma, a college student in New York, says: "My feed is all fitness influencers and luxury ads. To see my best friend’s graduation pics, I had to stalk her profile."
4. User Sentiment: Adapt, Accept, or Leave?
Some users welcome the change:
“Reels are addictive, I can’t stop scrolling.”
“It’s fun to grow a following and earn from content.”
“There’s more to explore than just my friends’posts.”
But others are nostalgic — or frustrated:
“I haven’t seen my friends’posts in weeks.”
“Instagram feels like an ad factory now.”
“I miss just sharing and chatting without thinking about‘reach.’”
Instagram is now a tool of performance, not presence.
When was the last time you saw a friend’s post on Instagram — was it something you came across naturally, or did you have to search for it?
Do you prefer algorithmic content or personal updates?
Would you still use Instagram if it became purely a content platform?
