What is Instagram Reels? Instagram Reels Review

background

With TikTok being viewed as a political football, the sharks are out. Microsoft, Triller, Byte, and Reels are all circling TikTok. The big question is whether key talent on TikTok will move to another social media platform. Right now, Facebook is working to attract talent to create Reels to help validate Instagram and build audiences.

Reason for affiliation

Currently, Instagram has more than 1 billion active users. The reason why Reels is built into Instagram instead of becoming a separate application may be that Facebook has learned from the failure of Lasso. With the help of Instagram's own user advantages and Facebook's recent efforts to attract TikTok celebrities to join, Facebook hopes that the newly added Reels function can be quickly recognized and accepted by existing users on the platform.

Application Showcase

Since Reels is built into Instagram, it is an addition and supplement to Instagram's existing functions. A separate Reels tab is added at the bottom of the page. After entering, users can record videos like shooting videos. At the same time, the background music buttons, playback speed, special effects, countdown, etc. are all concentrated in the left column.

Instructions

Reels will set up a music library for users to play songs on the platform. The content of the music library will be differentiated according to different countries and regions. Even if the user's country does not have the copyright for a certain music, the user can still see the video, but cannot hear the song. At the same time, AR effects will be added to music playback, and timers, alignment tools, etc. will be added to the video editor. Users can find the new Reels icon at the bottom of Instgram and post Reels to Ins Stories.

How TikTok differs from Instagram Reels

On the surface, Instagram Reels and TikTok look similar, but they are different. The main differences so far include:

1. The time limit for uploading videos is 15 seconds for Reels and 60 seconds for TikTok.

2. Reels shared from private Instagram accounts disappear after 24 hours, similar to how Stories do now.

3. Instagram and TikTok present trending videos differently. TikTok's trending videos are pushed accurately through algorithms. After four stages of the TikTok algorithm, the most attractive content will be pushed to the homepage. Reels and featured posts and videos can be found on Instagram's "Discover" or "Explore" page. In addition, Instagram may highlight some Reels.

Development History

Reels began testing in Brazil in November 2019, and has been launched in more than 50 countries and regions before the US version, including Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan and the United Kingdom. This new feature has also attracted the attention of many sports clubs, including Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

References

• 1. Instagram takes action to seize the market: launching a product similar to TikTok, Reels: Tencent.com [cited on 2020-08-08T16:00:00.000Z]
• 2. Instagram officially launches the US version of Reels, aiming at the opportunity of TikTok being restricted: NetEase News [cited on 2020-08-08T16:00:00.000Z]