Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Instagram's Reels Looks An Awful Lot Like TikTok

*insert Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man meme*

On Wednesday, Instagram launched possibly its most anticipated US update since stories or the dog filter: its TikTok competitor, Reels.

And, I gotta say, Reels sure looks a lot like TikTok.

Of course, this all couldn't come at a better time for Instagram or its parent company, Facebook. President Donald Trump has begun waging an all-out war against TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance. Last weekend, Trump threatened to ban the app from the US over, citing concerns about what the company is doing with American data.

In the middle of the drama, Instagram had the serendipitous luck (although, I put nothing past Mark Zuckerberg) of dropping what is essentially a TikTok clone. (Apropos of nothing, emails released cited in a congressional hearing last week revealed that Facebook bought Instagram in the first place in order to neutralize a competitor.)

It really is an uncannily similar product. I got access to Reels on Monday ahead of the US public launch and immediately was kind of amazed at how TikTok-y Reels felt.

With the tap of a button, you can scroll through Reels almost exactly like you scroll through your For You page, falling into the same kind of mindless, addictive scroll-hole that has made TikTok a favorite pandemic time-waster of millions.

The early access was only open to select publishers, influencers, and journalists so there weren't as many of the random teens, hilarious videos, and funny animals that you would see on TikTok, and the pool of content was much smaller. However, a lot of the culture seems to have made the jump, with a lot of the same memes, songs, and sounds I normally see on my For You page popping up on Reels.

In fact, as I scrolled through Reels on Tuesday, I saw an Ashley Tisdale video that I had literally just seen on my Fo You page on TikTok. A lot of people just seem to be uploading old TikToks onto Reels, which makes a lot of sense, tbh.

Eva Chen, Instagram's fashion director, re-created a huge TikTok trend with her daughter as her first foray into Reels. And when I wanted to show it to my followers, all I had to do was hit share, and I could upload it to my Instagram story.

Publishers like Bravo have also readied for the upcoming launch by helpfully uploading viral moments for people to act out, which is a super-popular trend on TikTok.

Of course, TikTok has plenty to offer that Reels does not. I am admittedly horrible at creating content (that's why I report on it instead) and can't speak in depth to how the TikTok video-creating experience stacks up to Reels. (I have attempted making videos on both platforms, and they feel about the same to me in terms of how user-friendly they are.)

Popular TikTok features, like the ability to "duet" with other videos, aren't available on Reels, and TikTok has, of course, built up its own culture of memes, sounds, and creators that will be hard to completely imitate. TikTok also has its famed algorithm for discovering videos, which will be difficult to match.

However, my main takeaway from Reels is the same one that, ultimately, led to me eventually stop using Snapchat once Instagram launched stories. It's just so easy to have everything in one place.

With Reels, I can easily toggle from my stories to my Explore page and then to TikTok-style videos all in one app. I don't have to build up a whole new following on TikTok, and I can see what people I am already following on Instagram are posting. If I see a funny video I want to share with my followers, I can share it easily to my stories without having to switch apps. I could see influencers, many of whom have launched TikToks in recent months to keep up with the trends, just posting to Reels instead and no longer worry about building a new fanbase on a new platform.

Of course, there are plenty of people, especially teenagers and young adults, who use TikTok as their main social media app and won't be tempted to switch over. But for those who primarily use Instagram and/or Facebook, the ease of Reels will make it an extremely enticing alternative.

It's just convenient to have all your followers, and all your content, in one place. And Instagram, as always, has just made it easier to spend even more time on it.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×