Instagram recently shocked its users with a bold new layout change: the signature square profile grid has now been changed to a vertical, rectangular format. According to the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, the change was long overdue: "Squares are from way back in the day when you could only upload square photos to Instagram… The vast majority of what is uploaded to Instagram today is vertical. It’s either 4 by 3 in a photo or 9 by 16 in a video, and cropping it down to square is pretty brutal. So, I’m hoping we can figure out a way to manage this transition.”
However, the change has left many Instagram users upset, with users across the globe taking to social media to complain about the new layout. K-netizens are now joining in to express their frustration, complaining that the change was unnecessary and looks bad. One post uses Cha Eun Woo's Instagram account as an example, with netizens criticizing the extra empty space created and the awkward rectangular layout:
Netizens commented:
"It feels like it's completely lost its sense of aesthetics. This sucks"
"They just keep making updates that no one actually wants"
"Why did they even do this? Seriously"
"It shows a lack of aesthetic sense"
"The extra empty space is so ugly"
"The person who pushed this update should be fired"
"Can't I remove this update from my phone? ㅠㅠ"
"Instagram is ruined now"
"People originally moved from Facebook to Instagram because of strange updates like this. Then people started to move again once Threads was created. I think the answer is to just get rid of social media at this point"
"Ah, please just change it back to how it was before. This is really weird"
Some netizens have also brought up another problem the rectangular grid poses for K-pop. Instagram has long been used as a creative way to tease upcoming K-pop releases, with groups utilizing the square grid layout to arrange teasers and create a unique layout:
However, the new ratio change has disrupted that for many K-pop accounts, causing the previously arranged layouts to look somewhat strange:
In addition to the aesthetic-based criticisms K-netizens have brought up, Instagram's new layout may also necessitate changes to the way K-pop comeback teasers are rolled out on the platform.
What do you think of Instagram's new look?
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