Reels have become one of the most used elements on Instagram. Such is its popularity that in the coming weeks all the videos will disappear from Instagram: now they will all be Reels . With this practice, Meta , the tech conglomerate that owns Instagram, seeks to compete against TikTok for vertical video supremacy.
What are Reels? The name that Instagram calls its short vertical videos. The duration to be considered Reel increased over time, initially going from 15 to 60 seconds and later to 90 seconds. However, as Meta announces, any video shorter than 15 minutes will be compulsorily shared as a Reel . These can have effects or templates designed directly by Instagram or uploaded without further editing within the app .
Like TikTok videos, other users’ content can be used to form duets . Public videos and photos from other accounts can be taken to create remixes, the same will happen with the audio, which we can reuse to parody the original video. In turn, new templates will be included to compare the original video and your version, something that was already possible on the Chinese social network. This format has also been implemented by other platforms, such as YouTube through YouTube Shorts, vertical videos with a duration of less than 60 seconds.
WHY HAS THE VIDEO TAB DISAPPEARED FROM MY INSTAGRAM PROFILE?
Users with the latest updated version of Instagram will look at your profile and wonder why the video tab has disappeared from my Instagram profile. The design of the profile has changed several times in recent years but one of the latest developments is the replacement of the videos tab with the Reels tab . This is between the uploaded photos and the photos tagged with a clapperboard symbol and a play inside. It is a change imposed by Instagram and that reflects the importance of Reels compared to standard videos. Videos definitely disappear from Instagram: now they will all be Reels.
WHAT DOES THE MESSAGE THAT VIDEOS WILL BE SHARED AS REELS MEAN?
All videos with Reels features will be shared as Reels . This is the meaning for those who wonder what the message means that the videos will be shared as Reels. This means that you can not choose the format of your video and opens a debate about what will happen to horizontal videos . In addition, the uploaded videos will be shown in the Reels tab and other users will be able to make remixes, although Instagram promises several privacy options to prevent duets from being made with our videos or being shared if we don’t want them to.