Want to TikTokify your Instagram account? Reels can help you do that
What’s done is done. TikTok – owned by Chinese company ByteDance – has now earned itself a bad name and is slowly being banned in the United States. House Representatives recently voted to prohibit the use of TikTok on all government-issued phones – and it’s likely only going downhill from there.
Launched four years ago, TikTok has been downloaded two billion times and has fostered a series of short-segment dance routines, comedy skits, & other random stuff to keep us entertained. However, recently TikTok has been blamed censoring political speech and potentially sharing your private information with the Chinese Communist Party.
TikTok was our saving grace when Vine, our favorite short-video platform, globally closed in early 2017. But now that TikTok is not an option, where do we go next? How do we get our short-segment fix? Luckily Instagram has upped its game – possibly compensating for our TikTok withdrawals. Here’s how to TikTokify your Instagram account.
Instagram Reels
A new short-form video format has just been added to Instagram called Instagram Reels. Much like what users already do on TikTok, Reels will give users the ability to record and edit short-form videos that have audio & music soundtracks.
Instagram Reels has been tested by users in Brazil since November and now it has been released to France, Germany, & India. Now the new platform will be welcomed in the U.S. launch as we finally say our goodbyes to TikTok – rest in peace.
How does it work?
Instagram users are already familiar with the Stories feature – which will now host the Reels video format. Users just have to create a Story by clicking on the top-left corner of the Home feed.
Instagram seems to be updating the Rolodex of options listed at the bottom of the screen, adding a tab to include Reels right next to Live videos, text posts, or Boomerangs. This new process seems rather straightforward, but we’ll just have to see how it compares to TikTok.
What’s the difference from TikTok?
One of the signature differences between Instagram Reels & TikTok is the time length allotted to users. TikTok videos extended the maximum length of its videos to sixty seconds. Reels, on the other hand, will limit videos to fifteen seconds.
Another big difference, according to Instagram’s head of product, is that Reels will offer its users a built-out augmented reality platform – which goes beyond that of TikTok. The app will also offer convenience since Instagram is already familiar with plenty of users.
TikTok has been really thorough in its agreements with music labels. This calls for Reels to step up its game to ensure that Instagram users can access a lot of music & audio for the Reels videos. If Instagram is looking to avoid all issues – they’ll have to call upon their partnership with music labels & agencies.
What’s the deal with the Instagram Reel?
Before TikTok was targeted as a potentially dangerous platform, it was a staple for Gen-Z social media enthusiasts. TikTok established a unique kind of internet culture with more than 100 million American users cherishing the app since it became available in 2018.
An attempt to compete with TikTok was a long time coming – especially considering how often Facebook steals features from other popular social media platforms. Snapchat Stories – for one – has been implemented into both Facebook & Instagram.
However, Facebook’s initial attempt at the short-video platform totally bombed. The company created Lasso which had fewer than 600 thousand downloads. Lass was shut down in July in order to make way for attempt number two – Instagram Reels.
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Do you think Instagram Reels will be a good replacement for TikTok? Let us know what you think below.
