Instagram Reels. This is the name of the new #feature that Instagram launched a few weeks ago, with which you can create, customize and share short videos in the dedicated section of the social network.
Let’s understand better what it is!
What is Instagram Reels and how does it work
By opening the Instagram camera you will find the new Reels function that will allow you to record short videos of 15 seconds that can be edited and customized using the different options provided directly by the App such as adding background music or playing with the speed of the video, but not only!
War on the latest Features!
Social photography has gone a long way by providing us with various tools to make our content truly super customizable . Here is an overview of the features that you will find within Reels:
- Audio : you can insert the background music you want by simply choosing a song from the music library or creating your own; in this second case, Instagram will recognize you as the author of the song and other users will be able to use it in turn. The more original you are, the more rewarded you will be, not bad right?
- Augmented reality: as with audio, you can choose one of the many effects made available by the App, choose one created by other users or unleash your creativity!
- Timer & Countdown: This option will allow you to set a timer to start a countdown before the video recording starts, so you can record your clip with much more convenience!
- Align : You will be able to align the objects of the previous clip before recording the next frame. It is essential for some types of videos such as changes of clothes or the entry of friends into the clip, making everything perfectly homogeneous.
- Speed: whether it is increased or decreased with Reels you will be able to record videos at a different speed than normal. Can’t memorize a choreography? No problem! You will be able to slow down the recording speed to make it easier.
What do we find on Instagram Reels?
The Reels work like all other Instagram contents and in fact they will be visible by anyone if shared from an open profile, or only by the followers of those who have a closed profile. Always in the Instagram app, therefore, we will have access to the most popular Reels of the moment. It will be easy to find challenges , dancers, singers and everything that can show our skills in just 15 seconds.
Did Instagram copy the counter neighbor?
If what you’ve read so far reminds you of something, no, you’re not wrong, it seems that Instagram has indeed launched a noteworthy offensive against the now very popular TikTok , proposing an App that is very similar, if not the same!
In short, despite some differences, there are many – perhaps too many – similarities with the Chinese platform, so much so that Robby Stein , Product Director of Instagram, admitted to the microphones of TechCrunch :
« I think that Musically first and TikTok then have the merit of making this format popular […]. However, no two products are exactly alike, and in the end, sharing a video with background music is a universal idea that we think everyone could be interested in. The challenge was to make this a unique format for us“.
Furthermore, the release of Reels was organized by Instagram in the wake of the distrust that TikTok has suffered in recent months: from the problems related to the lack of protection of user data to the bans received by some countries such as India and Australia.
The wolf loses its fur but not its vice …
Let’s remember that the photo social network is not new to copying the neighbor’s task! In fact, in 2016 Instagram had the same behavior with Snapchat , which, for those who do not remember it, allowed the creation of mini videos through the use of very funny filters.
The App of the ghost was a resounding success especially among the very young, so much so that it did not go unnoticed in the eyes of Zuckemberg who, shortly after, launched the Instagram Stories : an upgrade that allowed for the first time the publication, not only of photos, but also of moments of the day in the form of videos (online only for 24h) just like it did on Snapchat! We all know the epilogue… Snapchat has been abandoned by many, having stopped growing for three years.
Is TikTok the new Snapchat?
It is still early to say.
What we have noticed, however, is that the majority of influencers with thousands of followers on Instagram, having to keep up with the trends, have moved to the new platform by posting content that turns out to be a re-upload of those present on TikTok, a symptom that it is still too early to make an assessment.
The one between IG Reels VS TikTok is still a challenge to be played with Lip-Sync strokes!
Nicole Ghiringhelli
