Instagram changes its wordmark, and the internet has opinions — Can Gen Z read cursive?

Instagram has refreshed its wordmark for the first time in nearly a decade, but the reaction online has been less than enthusiastic. While Instagram says the updated design is cleaner, sharper and more modern, some users are struggling to get used to the new lettering.

And, as often happens with a social media redesign, the internet has already found something to joke about.

What has Instagram changed?

The Meta-owned platform has introduced a refreshed text-only wordmark with redesigned letterforms. The new version keeps elements of Instagram’s familiar cursive-inspired style but uses a cleaner, more modern typeface.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced the change on Instagram and Threads, saying the wordmark had not been updated in about 10 years and was starting to feel dated.

The wordmark can be seen at the top of the Instagram app, alongside the platform’s familiar colourful camera icon.

Why is Instagram changing it now?

Instagram’s last major visual identity overhaul came in 2016, when it moved away from its old brown camera logo and introduced the colourful pink-and-purple gradient icon that users know today.

This time, the change is more subtle. Instagram has kept the overall character of its original wordmark while redrawing the letters to give them a cleaner appearance.

Mosseri described the update as a way to make the wordmark feel “cleaner and more modern” while retaining references to Instagram’s original design.

Users are divided over the new look

The redesign has triggered mixed reactions online.

Some users welcomed the cleaner appearance, while others said the new lettering looks awkward or simply does not feel like Instagram.

One of the biggest jokes centres on the redesigned “r”, which some users say looks more like a “z”.

That has led to a wave of posts joking that Instagram has been renamed “Instagzam”.

One user joked that Instagram had suddenly become “instagzam, a new skin care brand”, while another simply referred to the redesign as the “Instagzam” logo.

Is Gen Z to blame?

The redesign has also sparked a different debate: Can Gen Z still read cursive?

Some users on X joked that Instagram changed its wordmark because younger users may struggle to recognise cursive lettering.

One post claimed the change was linked to schools no longer teaching cursive, suggesting that Instagram was making its branding easier for younger audiences to read.

The claim is social media speculation, not an explanation given by Instagram.

Why the cursive debate matters

Cursive teaching has declined in parts of the US. The US Common Core standards introduced in 2010 did not require cursive handwriting, although several states have since brought it back into school curricula.

According to media reports, a DocuSign survey found that 51 per cent of Gen Z respondents in the US could sign their name in cursive, compared with 80 per cent of baby boomers.

That has given social media users plenty of material for jokes about whether younger generations can decipher traditional handwriting.

Instagram’s new look gets the internet treatment

For now, Instagram has not suggested that Gen Z’s ability to read cursive was behind the redesign. The official explanation is much simpler: the wordmark was about a decade old and Instagram wanted to refresh it.

But the reaction shows how even a small change to a familiar brand can spark a surprisingly big conversation — especially when users think the letter “r” looks like a “z”.

With inputs from Agencies