As 2020 comes to a close, we
have a wonderful opportunity to take a step back and reflect, and never have we
been so eager to see the back of a year!
In spite of experiencing a year
in which life changed seemingly overnight, we’ve seen our community come
together like no other time. People found ways to virtually connect with loved
ones despite distance and lockdown restrictions; expressed themselves in new
and heart-warming ways; supported their wider communities by rallying around
causes they believe in; and championed small-medium businesses, protecting them
in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
Instagram was and continues to
be part of the moment, capturing those messages of hope and resilience,
illustrating the work of everyday heroes, supporting our community when needed,
adapting our offering in line with the needs of our community. Like our
community this was a year of introspection, growth and change. Here’s a
snapshot of the major features – you enjoyed, and we loved - launched in the
MENA region:
Jan 2020
1. Boomerang Creative Modes: the launch of 3 new creative
modes for Boomerang - SloMo, Echo and Duo.
High-res asset - Link
Feb 2020
2. Managing Who You Follow – to accommodate the
ever-changing and evolving interests of our community, we launched an update,
which allows users to manage the accounts they follow on Instagram, so they
best represent current connections and interests. The feature provides quick
access and easy shortcuts to see the accounts they follow, organized by
category, and lets them to edit from there.
March 2020
3. Stay Home Sticker – we kicked off our 'Stay Home' sticker
for Instagram Stories in order to encourage people to stay inside and practice
social distancing amid the evolving COVID-19 outbreak.
April 2020
4. Thank You Hour Sticker – we introduced Thank You Hour, a
new sticker and shared story that the community used to show gratitude for whatever
is helping them through this time.
May 2020
5. “Support Small Business” Sticker – as part of our
proactive outreach to support small-medium businesses during the pandemic, we
introduced the “Support Small Business” sticker on Instagram so people could
easily show their love for businesses in Stories. They can mention businesses
directly in the sticker to give their followers a preview of the account. When
people used the sticker, their story was added to a shared Instagram story, so
their followers could see it along with other businesses that people they
follow are supporting. The sticker helped businesses reach new customers and
stay connected to the people they serve.
June 2020
6. Reels in Egypt – in Egypt, we launched Reels, a new
experience that allowed users to create short-form edited videos and get
discovered on a global stage - positioning Instagram as the go to platform for
entertainment and self-expression.
7. Shopping Expansion - previously only available to managed
businesses, shopping on Instagram rolled out to all eligible businesses – from
the biggest brands to a shop owner setting up an online store to creators and
publishers like musicians, athletes, and more.
October 2020
8. Cross App – we connected Facebook Messenger to Instagram
DMs to bring some of the best Messenger features to Instagram – so our
community can have access to the best messaging experience, no matter which app
they use.
November 2020
9. Guides – we expanded Guides to the region to make it
easier to find, curate and share the products, places and posts users love from
their favourite accounts on Instagram.
10. Reels and Shop Tabs – we introduced the Reels and Shop
Tabs to Instagram – making it easier for the community to discover short, fun
videos from creators all over the world; and giving them a better way to
connect with brands and creators and discover products they love.
