There is a good reason for it, however.
Reeling It In
Instagrams new Reels feature is Facebooks attempt to head off TikTok.
The twist is these videos come from strangers, rather than people youve chosen to follow.
This isnt the first time Facebook has used its dominant photo-sharing online grid to head off competition, though.
Instagram Stories, which has been a huge hit, was added in January 2016 to compete with Snapchat.
TikTok is more like YouTube, where you watch videos from an algorithmically generated feed.
On TikTok, you initiate the app to a stream of suggested clips.
The algorithm learns what you like, and gives you more.
Discover an entertaining selection of reels made by anyone on Instagram, in a vertical feed customized for you.
If you love a reel, you might easily like, comment or share it with your friends.
What Is Facebooks Plan?
One key is demographic.
Also, Millennials and Gen-Xers migrated to Instagram a long time ago.
The heavy users of TikTok, on the other hand, are preteens to teens and young adults.
Facebook itself, then, has little hope of tempting TikTok users.
Facebook is the place your parents and grandparents hang out, after all.
It would do better to focus on keeping its existing users around.
And this is why Reels is built into Instagram.
Why sign up for a new service when you already have it in the one you use?
When Instagram copied Stories from Snapchat, it was built into the app, said Herrera.
The Reel Deal
With this in mind, the integration of Reels into Instagram makes sense.
And it actually works, kinda.
Posting a Reel is as easy as posting a Story, albeit with new editing tools and effects.
But the real winners here might be existing Instagram stars, or stars-in-waiting.
Facebook, too, stands to win if Reels creates someTikTok-level superstars.
