January 18th 2025.
Have you noticed a recent change to your Instagram profile? If so, you're not alone. Social media users everywhere are talking about the major update that has been made to the app's layout. The once popular square grid has been replaced with something new and different - vertical profiles. But why would Instagram make such a big change? Let's take a closer look.
The idea for this refresh has been in the works since 2022, when Alessandro Paluzzi first shared the news on X. However, it wasn't until August of 2024 that the platform started testing the rectangular grid on select users. According to Paluzzi, Instagram's parent company Meta has been looking for ways to spice things up and get people talking. And it seems like they have succeeded.
So, why the switch from squares to vertical profiles? Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, explained that the square grid was originally designed for when users could only upload square photos. However, the majority of content uploaded to Instagram now is vertical, with a 4:3 ratio for photos and 9:16 for videos. This often leads to the awkward cropping of images to fit the square grid. Mosseri hopes that this change will help with the transition to a more natural and seamless layout.
Of course, any major update to a popular app is bound to stir up some reactions. And Instagram's vertical profiles have definitely not gone unnoticed. Despite previous promises to wait for user feedback before making changes, it seems like the decision to switch to vertical profiles is here to stay - at least for now.
So, how have social media users reacted to this update? Well, many have expressed shock and frustration over the changes. Some are struggling with the adjustments they will now have to make, such as graphic designer drea who posted: "As a graphic designer for digital, I've never been so annoyed with anything as this IG update that messes up the grid orientation. I'm so glad I spent years making 1080x1080 graphics to fit perfectly on a feed just for IG to mess up the grid."
Others have taken to Twitter to voice their opinions, with user @MBSchonze pointing out the inconvenience of having to change graphics specifically made for the square grid to fit the new 4:5 ratio. User @khboi_ simply stated, "IG looks SO ugly now that they changed the grid to 3:4 ratio ew."
It's clear that social media users are not impressed with the update, and it may take some time for them to get used to the changes. But for now, Instagram's vertical profiles are here to stay. Who knows, maybe they will grow on users over time.
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