What is the new feature Instagram Reels and is it the same as TikTok?
INSTAGRAM launched a new feature to rival TikTok today.
The new feature is called Reels and it lets users post short video clips with music in the background.
Facebook, the owner of Instagram, has a history of adopting features that have proven popular on rival platforms.
Snapchat fans accused the social media giant, headed by Mark Zuckerberg, of taking their Stories concept – a topic which arose at a recent anti-trust hearing.
But what is the new feature Instagram Reels and is it the same as TikTok?
What is the new feature Instagram Reels?
Reels is an Instagram feature that lets users record short 15-second videos set to audio.
They can then be shared on the platform with the idea that they may go viral as the clips will reside in a space within the Explore tab called the Stage.
The plan is for Reels to be shared on Instagram Stories as well as more permanently on feeds.
“We’ve not been historically good at helping new creators find an audience,” said Vishal Shah, Instagram’s VP of product, reported Axios.
“The pitch for new creators is that Reels is a good way to get discovered, even if you don’t have a follower base.”
How do I use it?
Users will be able to access Reels just by updating the normal Instagram app.
The new product is embedded within the platform and incorporating editing tools in Instagram’s camera.
This include a countdown clock, a timer and a new align tool, which can combine different clips together.
Reels is avaliable on both iOS and Android.
But up until yesterday, not everyone can see it it.
Why can only some people see it?
Reels actually launched in Brazil last year but it wasn’t available elsewhere.
On Wednesday, it expanded to over 50 countries.
This includes the UK, USA, Australia, France, Germany, India, and Japan.
Now, Instagram users can use the platform to create short-form videos set to music.
“We started to experiment over a year ago in Brazil with Reels. In last month, 45 percent of videos uploaded to the (Instagram) feed were 15 seconds or less,” Shah said.
Is it the same as TikTok?
This is similar to TikTok as it gives users easy ways to make creative videos.
But it differs as a result Instagram’s augmented reality effects, in which users can overlay images and filters onto their clips.
Instagram previously tried to jump on the TikTok bandwagon with a video app called Lasso.
This new app doesn’t appear to have been very popular and it was shut down, with executives opting to incorporate a new feature in the existing IG app instead.
Adding a feature like Reels to Instagram is hoping to attract the over one billion people who already use it to share their photos.
Why are US concerns about TikTok?
The Trump administration is considering banning TikTok, WeChat, and others over national security fears.
Action against the Chinese-owned TikTok, which has been accused of sharing user data with the Chinese government, is expected soon, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters en route to Washington from Georgia.
US officials have previously suggested banning the app to protect national interests.
The investigation “relates to the gathering of information on American citizens by a foreign adversary,” Meadows added – but he wasn’t sure there was a self-imposed deadline “in terms of action”: “I would say that we’re looking at weeks, not months.”
TikTok, which is owned by Beijing company ByteDance, is one of the world’s most popular apps, boasting 1.5billion downloads.
Experts and policy-makers around the globe have expressed concerns that the app is harvesting user data that could be handed to officials in China.
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TikTok defended its security practices in a statement, saying: “We are fully committed to protecting our users’ privacy and security.
“TikTok has an American CEO, a Chief Information Security Officer with decades of U.S. military and law enforcement experience, and a growing U.S. team that works diligently to develop a best-in-class security infrastructure,” the statement said.
“TikTok U.S. user data is stored in Virginia and Singapore, with strict controls on employee access. These are the facts.”