INSTAGRAM'S DESIGN TWEAK OPENS A MASSIVE CAN OF WORMS

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Instagram's first navigation update since 2022 has sparked strong backlash, not because of the buttons themselves but because users feel it reflects a deeper problem: the platform keeps drifting toward a TikTok-style algorithm of viral videos instead of prioritizing posts from accounts people actually follow. Many see the changes as part of a broader trend of social platforms homogenizing around short-form viral content, leaving users nostalgic for Instagram's earlier, photo-focused, community-driven era.