Instagram’s latest feature might look a little familiar.
The new Instagram update includes another of Instagram’s platform-within-a-platform features that is similar to IGTV. This new feature, called Instagram Reels, allows users to capture clips and edit them into 15-second videos with filters, sounds, and effects. Once a user starts sharing Reels, a new tab appears on their profile (like the tab you get if you share IGTV videos). From there, other Instagram users can use the sounds in their own videos.
That sounds like another popular social media platform, though, doesn’t it? With more than a passing resemblance to TikTok, some users are confused about Instagram Reels, making jokes about Instagram’s obvious inspiration, wondering if they’re actually still on TikTok, or otherwise poking fun at the update.
That hasn’t stopped people from jumping into Reels to share their content, though. Many of the trends popular on TikTok like dances, challenges, fashion inspiration, and skits can all be seen in the Reels that have already been uploaded. Some people are even simply uploading their TikTok creations to Reels instead of cropping it for their feeds or sharing them in their stories.
Of course, TikTokers have been posting videos reacting to the update as well, and creators on both Reels and TikTok suspect that Instagram has rolled out these new features as a reaction to the uncertainty of TikTok’s future with some people sharing concerns about the app’s security, especially since this isn’t the first time Instagram has adopted the features of other platforms to make its app more appealing. Some wonder if a move to Instagram might be inevitable even though Snapchat and Microsoft have shown interest in buying TikTok to support the platform’s continued use.
Are you checking out Reels, ignoring it, or laughing about it? A plus for TikTokers is that they’re already familiar with cutting short clips into incredible videos. The rest of Instagram will just have to catch up.