10 Facts About Reels, the Tiktok Clone That’s Within The Instagram App

Last Updated on 2020-09-05 , 8:11 am

Slowly but surely, Tik Tok is taking over the world… much in the same vein as how Youtube did it so many years ago.

In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn’t heard of Tik Tok yet, a testament to how far the video-sharing app has come up the ranks in the industry.

However, with success, naturally comes alternative versions.

Imitations, one might even call them.

And really, who better to recreate the global phenomenon in its entirety, than the platform that nearly killed off Snapchat with its copy-paste Instagram stories function?

Yes, folks. Facebook is at it again.

And this time, it’s going after Tik Tok’s throat.

10 Facts About Reels, the Tiktok Clone That’s Within the Instagram App

1. What Is Reels?

According to Business Insider, Reels is a ‘novel’ content format for Instagram which allows users “to create and share short-form video content to followers in a new dedicated Feed and on the Explore page.”

Audio and music soundtracks are also available for content creation.

Sounds familiar? Well, you’re not wrong on that count, seeing as how there’s another app of the market that does pretty much the same thing.

But let’s put that aside first.

2. Launch

The function was released in the United States on 5 August.

It’s uncertain when/whether the feature will be coming to Singapore. For instance, Instagram Music, a feature that has been prevalent in the States and other regions, has yet to arrive on local shores.

3. Test trials

According to news sources, Facebook first started Reels tests with users in Brazil, all the way back in November 2019.

It then rolled out the feature to France, Germany and India in the last few months.

Wednesday’s rollout includes not only the United States but also the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia and more than 50 countries.

4. How Does The Function Look Like On Instagram?

According to sources, you’ll be able to identify reel clips on Instagram by a clapboard icon in the bottom-left corner.

It will also be available on a user’s profile, whereby a new tab will be incorporated to showcase all of their reels in one place.

In addition, there will be a Reels Explore Feed page for you to find the hottest and most popular clips in town.

5. How Does It Work?

Apparently, you’ll be able to like or comment or videos, as well as check for the audio track that was used in the video.

If you find a song or audio clip you like while browsing through videos on the platform, you can opt to use it for your own short-form video.

Reel videos appear to be limited to 15 seconds at the moment.

A number of video editing tools, as well as a video countdown timer and a library of video effects (including AR), are available for your perusal.

Once completed, you can choose to share a Reel video to your story, Explore Feed or your own user profile.

6. Been In The Works For A Long Time

If you recall from an earlier point, Reels has actually been in the works for a long time, having been rolled out for trials in Brazil since November last year.

That was before the current epidemic has even gone mainstream, lest you’re wondering.

And so the question begets;

Why now, of all times?

Well, the answer may be because of…

7. Turmoil In The US

The debut of Instagram’s Reels in the US comes as fears erupt over TikTok’s presence in the US.

Apparently, the Trump Administration is threatening to impose a nationwide ban on the video-sharing app, after months of observing the platform’s relations to China, where its parent company ByteDance is situated.

Instagram’s head of product, Vishal Shah, has since refuted rumours that it was a strategical release, stating that the timing was simply “coincidental”.

8. ByteDance Is Not Giving Up Yet

But ByteDance is not taking it lying down… just yet.

Apparently, ByteDance has agreed to divest parts of TikTok in an attempt to circumvent a seemingly imminent ban in the United States and is currently in talks with technological giant Microsoft to hand over TikTok’s US operations.

9. Copycat

Unsurprisingly, Facebook’s latest venture has given rise to criticism, with TikTok Chief Executive Kevin Mayer calling Reels a “copycat product”.

The social media giant has also faced similar charges at a congressional hearing last week, with lawmakers proposing that Facebook had copied rivals (like Snapchat) for anti-competitive reasons.

Vishal Shah, Instagram’s vice president of product, has since sidestepped all allegations by stating that “inspiration for products comes from everywhere”, including Facebook’s teams and “the ecosystem more broadly”.

10. Likely Success

Facebook did it with their own version of Snapchat stories…

And they could very well succeed once again with their own version of Tik Tok.

As Joe Gagliese, chief executive of influencer marketing agency Viral Nation put it:

“They’re a huge monstrous threat,” he said. “The current turmoil couldn’t be playing more into court to launch this thing.”

And so, one can’t help but wonder just how much of a success this latest venture of Facebook would prove to be…

And whether Tik Tok will still be relevant, much in the same vein as Snapchat of yesteryears, in the near future.

Trivia: Facebook once tried a standalone app called Lasso, but it failed to garner much traction.