We don't deserve unskippable ads on Instagram

According to a report by TechCrunch, Instagram is reportedly about to introduce a significant new update. This concerns the arrival of advertising on Meta's platform. In short, Instagram might be moving closer and closer to YouTube by implementing a peculiarity that might annoy most users. A Meta employee revealed to TechCrunch, «We are constantly testing formats that can generate value for advertisers. For now this is only a test but we will be careful to provide updates if this testing leads to final changes to the product.» Users who have already been "targeted" by this update have shown more about the update by posting screenshots on social networks. A countdown-much like the one that appears on YouTube when you press play-will prevent users from continuing to scroll through other content on the app until they have watched the entire ad. The change would see the social network become similar to the free version of YouTube, which forces users to view ads before and while watching videos.

It makes sense for Instagram to consider this avenue, since over the years it has always placed greater emphasis on video content by introducing features such as Stories and Reels. At the same time, however, comparing Instagram and YouTube in terms of medo user expectations makes little sense. YouTube, which for one thing is not a social network on which users access hundreds and hundreds of times a day, is a decidedly "slower" platform than Instagram. For this reason, the arrival of advertising on Instagram could affect users more, obviously in a negative way. Just think if the same kind of advertisement were to be introduced on TikTok: the user would run the risk of no longer being attracted to one of the most distinctive features of the platform, namely the immediacy of enjoyment and playback of content. So, with Instagram, such a reaction could be generated. What gives us hope for the better for the testing of this introduction concerns the fact that Instagram is used to testing temporary updates that are then archived. All that remains for us is to await the decisions of Meta's top management.