Instagram is ramping up efforts to enhance its search features, according to Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Build Your Tribe podcast, Mosseri admitted that the platform’s current content search capabilities are lacking and need improvement to keep up with changing user behavior—especially among Gen Z.
“We’re… starting to invest more in search on Instagram because there’s so much amazing content,” Mosseri said. “Quite frankly, what we call content search — as opposed to searching for an account — it’s not very good on Instagram.”
The renewed focus on search comes as Gen Z increasingly turns to social media apps like TikTok and Instagram for information, bypassing traditional search engines like Google. Research backs this trend: a 2024 study by HerCampus showed 51% of Gen Z prefer TikTok over Google Search, and a Bernstein Research report found 45% use social media for search.
Acknowledging that Instagram’s small search team contributed to the platform’s shortcomings, Mosseri revealed that Meta has recently bolstered that team. The goal is to improve Instagram’s ability to help users discover content and allow creators’ posts to have a longer lifespan beyond the first 24 to 48 hours.
“It’s a long road,” he said, “but I do think [search] could also be a really good one for people who are looking for things.”
Mosseri also touched on how users are shifting toward Stories and direct messages for personal interactions, while the Feed is becoming more of a public space. As a result, Instagram is also working to enhance features like recommended searches within the comments section—an area where TikTok already excels by surfacing trending discussions.
“Sometimes, where the real interesting context is not in the video itself, but in the comments,” Mosseri added. A new version of the Instagram app that uses comment data to boost search recommendations is expected “soon.”
