Facebook has been flagged with multiple controversies ever since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke the internet. A new report suggested that the company has been steadily moving the social media platform's features to privacy issue-free Instagram.
According to BuzzFeed News, Instagram head Adam Mosseri introduced a new feature called "create mode" on Tuesday at the F8 event. The feature is very similar to Facebook's color block status mode that came out two years prior.
The outlet noted that before the "create mode" on Instagram was announced, other Facebook features have been ported to the photo-sharing platform since 2012. Some of these are albums, tagging, video-sharing, private messaging, and even advertising.
Instagram also added the "Donation stickers" button that allows users to raise money for charitable causes. Facebook started allowing for fundraising four years ago, another move that could suggest company leadership is shifting focus away from the controversy-plagued network.
Groups are not yet available on Instagram but industry analysts believe it won't be long before Mark Zuckerberg and his fellow leaders decide to allow for IG groups to be created.
Edison Research revealed in a recent survey that Facebook's overall user base has been losing around 15 million users since 2017. Analysts indicated that Facebook's decline could have pushed company leaders to start focusing on Instagram.
In mid-2018, Instagram hit the 1 billion active user base mark, indicating that it continues to expand by the year. While Facebook is still the cash cow, Instagram has overtaken its sister company in terms of growth.
Industry experts suggested that Instagram's e-commerce scheme could be much more than what the world has seen so far. Earlier this month, Deutsche Bank analysts predicted that the social network's shopping transformation could generate $10 billion in revenue within the next two years.
The bank added that Mosseri appears to be more focused on monetizing the app, potentially paving the way for more methods that Instagram will develop to turn the network into a Facebook replica.
As Mosseri and Facebook leaders try to build momentum through Instagram, Zuckerberg also made a statement at F8 that gave spectators a look into what the company plans with the data issues that it faced over the last two years.
At F8, Zuckerberg unveiled a redesigned Facebook wherein the signature blue menu bar has been eliminated. The bar is now white and is more closely aligned in terms of color with Instagram and Messenger.
Zuckerberg also revealed the company's new mantra, "The future is private," seemingly addressing the data privacy controversies that it is now trying to put in the past. He said privacy "is the next chapter" with which Facebook will reestablish its services.
