It looks like Facebook is going for TikTok’s neck with its newly launched feature called Reel, which was launched on Wednesday. The feature is available on the Instagram platform, and it offers a similar experience to that of TikTok.
TikTok is the new kid on the block as far as popular social media platforms are concerned, but Facebook is not pleased about losing its title and audience to a Chinese social platform. This is why the company has launched Reel as part of its strategy to compete with the popular platform while also remaining relevant by providing something fresh.
Reels was made available in over 50 countries, including the U.S, after its launch on Wednesday and can e accessed within the Instagram app. Despite its recent launch, it has been in works for quite some time and was even tested in Brazil in 2018. The feature will allow users to record short and add music or other sounds and special effects before posting them.
“I think TikTok deserves a ton of credit for popularizing formats in this space, and it’s just great work,” stated Instagram Product Director Robby Stein as he acknowledged the social Chinese platform.
Reel’s launch comes at a time when the U.S President Donald Trump has been threatening to ban TikTok as part of his distrust of Chinese products in light of the lengthy standoff between China and the U.S. There was also some news that Microsoft plans to acquire TikTok.
This is not the first time that Facebook has launched a service similar to an existing service from another company. Facebook introduced Insta Stories in 2016 and was immediately accused of copying Snapchat, which was the originator of the feature. However, the move worked in favor of Facebook because Insta Stories soon caught on and became more popular than Snapchat’s offering. It also managed to help Instagram to remain more attractive to users.
Facebook hopes that Reels will help it compete effectively with TikTok while also providing something fresh to keep users excited. The company expects Reels to provide an alternative way in which users can continue to share content creatively on the platform.