Oh, oh... Instagram has copied again!?

On August 5, Facebook launched Instagram Reels, a new feature that allows you to record and share short multi-clips of 15 or 30 seconds in which, in post-production, you can make changes to the audio and visual effects, in in order to create fun and original content.

Déjà vu ?! No, you are not wrong. This time Instagram is inspired by Tik Tok, its number one competitor.
And this is how now, when we access the Instagram camera, among the various options to create the stories, we find “Reels”.

How does it work?

To make the functionality easy and intuitive, all the creative tools for creating the content are arranged on the left of the screen.

There are five options:

  1. Lunghezza del video: che permette di scegliere la durata del Reel tra 15 o 30 secondi.
  2. Audio: che consente di impostare una traccia sonora come sottofondo del video. Si può scegliere sia una traccia tra quelle della libreria di Instagram che caricare un audio personale che, nel caso l’account sia un profilo pubblico, gli altri utenti possono a loro volta utilizzare.
  3. Velocità: con cui è possibile rallentare o velocizzare il video o una sua parte.
  4. Effetti: da cui possono essere impostati i filtri e le impostazioni di realtà aumentata per rendere i contenuti spiritosi ed originali.
  5. Timer: che è di grande aiuto perché permette di registrare il video liberamente, senza dover tenere lo smartphone in mano.

Not enough for you? Then try to create more content in sequence and then combine them together to get a more impactful content.

Instagram vs. Tik Tok

At this point you may be wondering if they are really alike the same.
There are actually differences. The first and most important is that Tik Tok is in fact an application based on this unique way of creating content. For Instagram, however, Reels is just an additional feature.

Furthermore, while for Tik tok it is not necessary to register to see the contents made by others, for Instagram it is necessary to have an account.

There are also other small differences.
For example, the duration of the Reel has already gone from 15 seconds to 30, the videos on Tik Tok instead reach up to 60.
On Instagram it is not possible to make “duets” so create content in collaboration with other users.
Tik Tok makes content available in two different Instagram feeds (for you and explore) in the main feed only.

Who will win the challenge?

It is difficult to predict what will happen in the future.

In recent days, however, the President of the White House Donald Trump has declared that he intends to ban Tik Tok accusing her of spying on American citizens and making targeted propaganda on US users. Losing this slice of users would certainly be a serious blow to the company. The entry of the new Oracle shareholder is perhaps a strategy to circumvent these restrictions … So the last word is not said!

The extended family of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp has also been involved in scandals and investigations related to the dissemination of personal data.
Certainly the company has shown over the years that it knows how to renew itself, despite more or less regular news of an announced expiration date.

The challenge between Instagram Reels and Tik Tok is therefore open.

Instagram Social Network Tik Tok