Facebook is a sight to behold whenever they roll out new features. Even some media outlets point out that their “new” features share extremely similar features that were previously launched by their competitors. Some of these features have been a smashing success however, some have failed and went extinct. Just last week, Facebook announced that Instagram will have a “new” feature. Here’s what Facebook and Instagram came up with, and it’s shockingly similar to Tik Tok.
Introducing “Instagram Reels”
As we all know, Facebook owns Instagram. Just recently, they announced that they will be launching a competitor to Tik Tok. The announcement came just in time as Tik Tok is put in more hot water.
The feature is called “Instagram Reels”. It allows users to shoot 15-second videos and add visual effects. Users will be able to share it with their followers under the “Reels” section in the Explore tab. They can also put it in their stories where users could publish their created content for just 24 hours.
For some of our readers, this might not be big news. Instagram has been apparently testing this feature in Brazil since November 2019. Earlier this summer, the feature also reached India, France, and Germany.
Facebook’s Tik Tok Before Tik Tok
As we all remember, Facebook released “Lasso” in 2018. It was a short video-sharing app similar to Tik Tok. Due to the sudden increase in Tik Tok’s fame, Lasso was further put in the backdrop. In July 2020, Facebook announced that it will be shutting down Lasso later that month.
Lasso was only ever available to a handful of countries outside the U.S.
What actually happened to Tik Tok?
Tik Tok has found itself in hot water after a barrage of allegations surfaced over the past month. Some lawmakers have pointed out that Tik Tok might be a security threat to the U.S. It could be noted that starting in 2019, tensions between the U.S and China have flared up. This means that Tik Tok is in a pretty bad spot, being a Chinese-owned company and a popular social media platform in the U.S.
Amidst the legal battle, Tik Tok has been forced to pick between two options. The first one is to cease operations in the U.S. Another option is to sell Tik Tok to an American company. Just recently, Microsoft has stepped up to the plate and planned to purchase Tik Tok in the U.S, Canada, Australia, and other key countries.
According to reports, Microsoft and Tik Tok are expected to conclude their negotiations on or before September 15.
For Instagram Reels to succeed, they need to pry content creators away from Tik Tok. However, this might be extremely difficult as Tik Tok publishes that they will be launching a $200 million support for its content creators. Read more of the details here.
Opinions expressed by AsianBlurb contributors are their own.
Devin Caherly (born 03/17/2001) is an American teen entrepreneur and influencer. Caherly is most widely known for his TikTok account with over a million followers.
