Instagram head Adam Mosseri says the company is trying to improve the search capabilities of its app, acknowledging that this is an area where Instagram can do more to compete. This comment, made in a recent episode of the “Build Your Tribe” podcast, comes when younger Gen Z users often want answers from social apps like Tiktok instead of using traditional search engines.
Of course, Instagram is in that mix, but I know it could be stronger.
“We're starting to invest more in searching on Instagram because we have a lot of amazing content,” he said. “And frankly, what we call content search – actually searching for some type of content rather than searching for an account is not very good on Instagram.”
The executive said part of the problem was the small team working on Instagram searches, but Meta recently “strengthened” with the goal of the team rolling out further improvements on this front.
“It's a long way, but I think it's really good for those looking for things. I think you can find it 'easiest' to find it, whatever you use Instagram,” Moseli said. “But for creators too… we need to make sure that the content can resurface so that they don't get all the value in the first 24 or 48 hours.”
The way Gen Z and younger users search for content has been flux for some time.
When Google Executives suggested in 2022 that social apps like Tiktok and Instagram were eating core businesses like search and maps, they identified how the issue was affecting their future as a search provider.
Last fall, Tiktok began competing more directly with Google's advertising business by allowing advertisers to target search results pages.
Various market research also sees this change in how young people use the Internet and web search to varying degrees. For example, one US study found that Instagram topped Google search and other rivals as GEN Z's preferred search engine.
However, this is still a close race and Instagram has not necessarily won.
A Bernstein research study cited by Fortune in April 2024 found that 45% of Gen Zers were more likely to use social media for searches, while a 2024 Hercampus survey cited by Emarketer found that 51% of Gen Zers favored Tiktok over Google searches.
Mosseri's comments show that Meta knows the next frontier where Instagram needs to compete.
Only a “very small percentage” of the average user (non-creator) who posts on Instagram feeds on a given day added that this part of Instagram is “increasingly becoming the public domain.” Meanwhile, stories and DMs (direct messages) are where users interact with friends.
Another area where Instagram aims to compete with Tiktok in searches is the recommended search that appears at the top of the comments section.
In Tiktok, the proposed search is extracted from what people are talking about in comments. That's what I want to improve on Instagram too.
“Sometimes, the real, interesting context is… not in the video someone uploaded, but in the context around it – almost always in the comments. And what we're trying to do is to surface more easily, and you can go more,” he said.
He noted that a version of the Instagram app will be coming out “soon” as it is heading for comments to bolster search suggestions.