There is no doubt that ByteDance has always been regarded as a threat to Facebook, which owns Instagram.
Image credit: Kon Karampelas/Unsplash
Taking advantage of TikTok's ongoing deep political crisis, Reels stands a good chance of taking advantage of the conflagration and succeeding.
On August 5th, Facebook officially launched its short video application, Instagram Reels, in more than 50 countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, and Australia.
Reels was first launched in Brazil in 2018, followed by France, Germany and India. Its function is similar to TikTok; through Reels, users can record a 15-second video, and add music and a series of filters and effects.
Earlier, TikTok CEO Meyer said in a blog that Facebook is currently "disguising as patriotism" its intention to provide "imitator" services. At the same time, it was pointed out that Reels was the second time Facebook tried to imitate TikTok. Facebook tried a TikTok clone software called Lasso before, but this disappointed.
In a video conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Instagram’s vice president of product, Vishal Shah also acknowledged the similarities between Reels and TikTok, and said that “the inspiration for the product comes from anywhere, including the Facebook team and the wider ecosystem system.”
However, Instagram product director Robbie Stein said that, although TikTok popularized the short video format, the two products are different. "I think TikTok's promotion in the field of short videos is commendable. This is a great job," Robbie Stein said. "But in the final analysis, no two products are exactly the same, and neither is ours." According to Robbie Stein, the biggest difference between Reels and TikTok is the connection with the Instagram ecosystem. People can send videos to friends directly on Instagram, and they can also use Instagram-specific AR filters and tools.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that Reels had laid out a generous incentive plan in an attempt to attract creators on TikTok to transfer to the platform. In fact, due to the uncertain future of TikTok, some of the top creators on the platform have indeed begun to transfer to other platforms. There is no doubt that TikTok has always been regarded as a threat to Facebook. Taking advantage of TikTok's woes certainly seems to be the primary motivation in launching Reels around the global at this point in time.