4 Things To Know About Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels is the latest offering from the photo sharing platform Instagram and was launched as a replacement for the video sharing application TikTok.  Instagram Reels was launched only last year and was being tested in Brazil where it was called Cenas.  TikTok was enjoying an unrivalled popularity in India as it became a means to keep boredom at bay during the nationwide lockdown which was imposed in light of the COVID-19 virus.  TikTok amassed more than 200 million users in India and this is mostly due to the cheap internet plans rolled out by Jio Telecommunications, which made the internet accessible to every person even in the remote corners of India.

However, the Indian government announced that it would ban 59 Chinese applications in which TikTok was one, along with WeChat, Helo, Cam Scanner and many others.  This left a sudden void in video making applications, and Instagram realised the need for urgency to capitalize on this void.  Therefore, Instagram immediately pushed their latest feature Instagram Reels which lets its users create 15 second videos with music from Instagram’s database.  These videos look very similar to the ones made on TikTok and therefore Instagram is hoping to entice TikTok users to come onboard their platform.

Instagram users can open the explore tab on their mobile app and can see videos made from Reels.  These videos are displayed on the top of the explore tab and take up half the screen space to ensure more visibility for the feature.

Here are 4 things you need to know about Instagram Reels:

1) Create 15 second videos:

A user can use Reels after updating their Instagram application which is available for both Android and iOS users.  The Reels option is displayed when a user swipes right on their Instagram home screen.  A user can record upto 15 seconds of video and can string multiple 15 second videos to make a Reel.  

2) Reels can only be edited in App:

The Reels can only be edited in the Instagram app where users have a plethora of filters, music and video effects at their disposal.  The Reels can be reviewed to see how they look when they are stitched together (if two 15 second Reels are merged.)  The Reels can be deleted and re-recorded if they are not up to the mark.

3) Reels can be shared as a story or made public:

Unlike the normal Instagram Stories which can only be shared with your followers, Reels can be made public so they can be displayed on the explore tab for everyone on the platform to view it.  If you share your Reels to your Stories or in Direct, they will disappear after 24 hours. You can also save Reels to your drafts for posting later.

4) Featured Reels:

According to Instagram, Reels which may be watched by a lot of people depending on the cultural relevance and relativity to the audience will get a featured tag to them.  These featured reels will only be chosen from public accounts.

The chances are high that Instagram Reels feature is rolled out to almost everyone using Instagram in India.  Let us know if you began experimenting with it and created cool videos!