Social Media, Tips And Trends: Interview With Instagram's Relationship Manager Heiko Hebig

What do you think are the latest trends on Instagram?

Heiko Hebig: "In the past few years, Instagram has changed a lot from being an app that only allowed you to share square photos into a video app. I think we have followed this path very consistently over the past few years. Photos are still an essential part of Instagram, but video has become another vital element of the Instagram community. A few years ago we introduced the IGTV to the Instagram users. It was popular by especially YouTubers, who enjoy posting long videos. Then, last summer, Reels was launched to publish short, entertaining videos. Both are popular: You see many young and older creators posting great and creative content every day. We are currently in the process of expanding Reels to make this feature another central part of Instagram."

Tell us more about the new Reels function on Instagram.

We've already gone through a big change: for the first time in many years, we've made some significant changes to the main navigation and added a Reels tab to the main navigation. The same was implemented with the shopping function so that users can easily get inspired by new products. It shows that these functions are essential for us. Integration of the new functions is a step in the direction that short, entertaining videos will continue to play a major role on Instagram in the future. We see that people enjoy them and spend a lot of time watching these videos. There are YouTubers who spend a lot of time creating these videos, which requires great creative ideas. Unfortunately, reels function is not currently available in all countries in the world. For instance, this option became available in Russia, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates about two weeks ago.

How do you see the connection between the TikTok app and the new Reels function on Instagram?

I think the apps influence each other. Just like years ago, we introduced a stories function. However, the way we implemented it also differs from the other apps. The same applies to reels: there are similarities and there are differences. We believe that the strength of Instagram lies in these differences and also in the combination of square photos, short videos, long videos and the many possibilities that arise from them.

How would you describe your daily routine?

Heiko Hebig: "When it comes to the question, you have to make a very clear distinction between 'before Corona' and 'during Corona'. At the moment I work from home office since March 2020 and have hardly any meetings in the real world. Also, no more team meetings and no business trips. An important part of my work is meetings, workshops, meetings with relevant agencies. Additionally, I travel across Central Europe to get feedback from our relevant business partners."

If you look at your mailbox, how many email inquiries do you get every day?

Heiko Hebig: "Email is not the only way I get contacted for business. There are also Whatsapp messages, Instagram messages, calls, etc. So that's a good three-digit number per day. So I have to prioritize the requests because I also get contacted by people I cannot help."

How do you estimate the influence of social media on today's youth?

Heiko Hebig: "I think it is impossible to imagine young people's life without social media. At a certain point in Internet history, there have always been networks that had higher popularity, such as Myspace. Some networks stay popular for a very long time, for example, YouTube. I believe social networks will help people and especially young people grow up in the future. The Instagram team works continuously to ensure that Instagram remains one of the leading social media apps."

How strong was the influence of the corona pandemic on social media?

Due to the pandemic situation, people have had to stay at home during the acute lockdown period. We have observed that media consumption has exploded! People wanted to find out about things that happen globally, and social media networks such as Instagram are very suitable for this. It has transformed into fantastic communication formats - fitness formats, various challenges, live sessions, etc. Millions of users went live to share new events and experiences with others. People tried to deal with a new world situation and were either active or on the receiving end. Our team has observed different parameters: duration of use, the intensity of use, and how Instagram was used. This tendency has significantly changed in comparison to the last few years. For example, we received positive feedback from shop owners who were all closed during the pandemic. Thanks to the Instagram presence and shopping function, many small brands and large stores were able to attract attention from the audience and continue to make their sales on Instagram.

What role do social networks play for people?

Heiko Hebig: "No other medium in the world offers the possibility of reaching so many people at once as social media. People are social human beings. They have special needs, such as networking and interacting with each other. A mobile phone is a perfect tool for this! You can exchange voice and text messages, share pictures and videos with friends and family, you can learn a lot about life and new trends."

What do you particularly like about your work?

Heiko Hebig: "The nice thing about my working day is that it is highly varied. I can plan around 50% of my working day - like now, e.g. an interview or a workshop, a meeting, or an internal Zoom conference. Apart from this, there are unpredictable things that happen during the day. I find all of these unpredictable situations fascinating. I've been doing this job for so long without getting bored."