Instagram isn’t what it used to be — and that’s very much by design. According to Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and Threads at Meta, the platform is undergoing a “paradigm shift” from public sharing to private interactions. In a recent interview with Business Insider‘s Peter Kafka, Mosseri outlined how user behavior has changed over time — and how Instagram is adapting its business to follow suit.
“The amount of content people post publicly in feeds is going down across the entire industry,” Mosseri explained. “People are moving more and more sharing to stories — and even more into messaging.”
While Instagram was once all about public posts and curated photo grids, that behavior is on the decline. Now, most of the content shared on Instagram is happening behind the scenes, in group chats and direct messages. Stories are the middle ground, but even they’ve taken a backseat to DMs.
This move to private sharing isn’t accidental. Users are increasingly opting for spaces that feel more personal and safer, where they can share content with people they trust, rather than broadcasting to a large, unknown audience.
“Think of posting in the feed like standing on a roof, shouting at a crowd,” Mosseri told Kafka. “Sure, sometimes you want to do that. But most of the time, you’d rather just tell your friend something directly.”
Why the Algorithm Rules
That shift in user behavior also explains why Instagram (and every other social media app) leans so heavily on algorithmic feeds. With fewer public posts available, platforms have to dig deeper into the content pool to keep users engaged. That’s why you’re seeing more content from people you don’t follow — the algorithm is filling in the gaps.
“If we look at the billion things posted in a day and find something you’re interested in, there’s more upside,” Mosseri said.
While some users have criticized this approach for feeling less personal, Instagram sees it as a way to keep the app dynamic and relevant — especially as the supply of feed posts dries up.
Messaging Is the Future — But Can It Be Monetized?
The big question for Meta is how to turn all this private sharing into a profitable business. While Stories and Reels can be monetized through ads, DMs are trickier. Still, Mosseri is optimistic. He pointed out that Reels — short, entertaining videos — often lead users to share content with their friends privately, which then encourages further engagement with public parts of the app.
That sharing loop is key to keeping the app sticky. “We’re going to show you engaging stuff, you’re going to share it with a friend, and maybe they come back and engage more too,” Mosseri said. “It’s a positive feedback loop.”
It also fits Instagram’s identity as a place for creativity and connection — even if that connection increasingly happens behind closed doors.
The Threads Backstory
Kafka also pressed Mosseri on the origin of Threads, Instagram’s Twitter-like app that launched in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. Surprisingly, Threads almost started as just another feature within Instagram.
“We considered making it a tab in Instagram,” Mosseri said. “But Mark [Zuckerberg] argued that while it would be harder to succeed as a standalone app, it would also be more valuable if it did.”
In a now-typical Meta fashion, Zuckerberg pushed for a bigger, riskier play. Mosseri recalled pitching what he jokingly called “Textagram” while on a vacation in Italy. Zuckerberg liked the idea — and said he’d have someone else build it if Mosseri didn’t.
“I said, ‘OK. Sounds like I’m signed up.’ So he gets the credit,” Mosseri admitted.
The Bigger Picture
Instagram’s transformation reflects broader shifts across the social media landscape. Public sharing is out. Private, ephemeral, and context-driven communication is in. And for a platform that started out as a digital photo album, that means rewriting the rules — while still figuring out how to pay the bills.
“We want friend content to continue to be a core part of the experience,” Mosseri emphasized. “And this allows Instagram to stay social, but still grow as a business.”
Interview credit: Peter Kafka for Business Insider.