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Facebook-owned image sharing behemoth Instagram (heard of ’em?) is testing a new change to its app, and the internet is collectively freaking out about it. According to some users, Instagram is already rolling out a new 4-across profile grid to replace the current 3-across setup that people know and (apparently) love.
Not a huge deal, you might think, but many photographers and casual users alike use that 3-across grid to create interesting mosaics that help their profile stand out. And those people are not reacting well to news of the test:
INSTAGRAM MIGHT UPDATE ITS FEATURE FROM A 3-ACROSS TO A 4-ACROSS PHOTO GRID AND IVE NEVER BEEN THIS DEVASTATED IN MY LIFE. MY FEED OH NO
— nikki regalario (@spicycinderella) September 17, 2017
I’m going to be fuming when Instagram changes to a 4 grid!! My theme will be ruined. ??#bloggerproblems
— The Beauty Kingdom (@BeautyKingdomUK) September 19, 2017
Anyone else’s Instagram showing a 4 in a row grid? This is going to ruin everything ? #gridview #instagram #aesthetics pic.twitter.com/XmCLyv5lx1
— LouAnne (@louannedias) September 15, 2017
Instagram starts 4-pic grid? RETHINK!!! Too many beautifully curated feeds will be ruined… @instagram #instagrid #instaupdate #gridview
— Jousianne Propp (@jousianne) September 13, 2017
Literally no one wants the 4 grid instagram change. Listen to your users @instagram this might be the beginning of your end
— FC (@ATM__R) September 15, 2017
Thoughts and prayers to the people who curated their instagram based on the three column grid.
— Mary (@marysilvestre) September 14, 2017
Hey @instagram, people have spent years perfecting their feeds. No 4 grid update please. pic.twitter.com/hPuCJthKb6
— Abhimanyu (@ItsMisterJadhav) September 14, 2017
Of course, by now Instagram is used to these kinds of reactions—it seems like every change they make is met by a deluge of fear, anxiety and threats of abandonment. The algorithmic feed has been a boon for the company, but it set the community into a panic; and even smaller changes like the ability to block comments automatically or by keyword are usually met with at least some skepticism.
But for those photographers who have built their Instagram ‘brand’ in part by making creative use of the 3-across grid on their profile, this change would represent a swift kick to the mosaic.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)