Will Instagram Reels dethrone TikTok?

It is clear that TikTok is the application of the moment. Not only because of its success among users, but also because of the controversy it sparks around its use. For example, recently the La Vanguardia website mentions that the current president of the United States, Donald Trump, affirmed that he will close the company "if it is not sold before September 15", due to conflicts between his country and China.

Although we do not know what will happen to the future of the service, what we do know is that it represented a new communication model for users and brands. The disruptive proposal that it imposed implied that other companies and social networks try to emulate its operation, as is now the case with Instagram.

The Ámbito website highlights that Reels, the “Instagram TikTok for making short videos”, was launched. That is, with a content style very similar to that of the Chinese service, although it will have some peculiarities. Let's see what new features it has. 

Instagram Reels, the new competitor of TikTok

The craze for short videos causes more and more people to dare to produce content. The short and engaging videos on TikTok and the platform’s features allow users to attract more followers to their accounts. Therefore, it is interesting to see how Instagram Reels will emulate how TikTok works. According to CNet's website, the application's format will allow Instagram users to "record, edit and share 15-second videos."

The service is already available in more than 50 countries, such as the United States, Spain and Mexico. Knowing that, recently, the Infobae website highlighted that TikTok exceeded 2000 million downloads, we must analyze what are the proposals of interest for this new service. That is, why would one choose Instagram Reels with TikTok being available. 

Well, according to what the specialized website of Xataka Móvil mentions, we will be allowed to record small clips "accompanied by effect, text and music." Any user will be able to create content of interest to the community, without the need for extensive editing knowledge. Therefore, you can use an infinite number of effects, such as slow motion, face duplication or beauty filters.

Also read: The Bugs Bunny movie that saved Michael Jordan's career

This application will work on par with Instagram, with an interesting functionality: we can have our personal profile in private, but the videos can be viral. The idea is that Reels is open to everyone, but there will also be the possibility that it is only shared with our followers.

Once we record the video, it can be fixed in a specific section of the profile and it will be located between the timeline of publications and the Instagram Direct tab.

Remember that it is not the first time that the Facebook-owned photo application has borrowed some ideas from other services. For example, the Yucatan Mexico media highlights that Instagram "has already left Snapchat behind" and is now going for TikTok, given that, at the time, it replicated Snapchat stories to attract more users to the application.

This led to the fact that, according to CNN's website, Instagram Stories is twice as popular as Snapchat after two years of its implementation. Something similar may happen with Reels, since many people may prefer to do everything from one app.