Instagram beefs up Reels to compete with TikTok
- Meta announced new templates and editing tools for Instagram Reels
- Reels allow users to create short videos similar to those on TikTok
- Meta has also launched or changed apps competing with Twitter and Snapchat
This picture taken on October 5, 2020 in Toulouse, southwestern France, shows logos of US social networks Facebook and Instagram on the screens of a tablet and a mobile phone. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP) (Photo by LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images)
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(NewsNation) — Meta announced new template tools for Instagram Reels in the company’s latest efforts to compete with TikTok.
The new tools allow creators to browse and use templates for short videos. The company also announced new, enhanced editing tools, similar to those found on TikTok.
The move is one of several Meta has made to compete against other social media companies, including the launch of Twitter competitor Threads. The company also announced new changes to Facebook Avatars, which is similar to Snapchat.
TikTok has surged in popularity among U.S. users, despite concerns from lawmakers that the app poses a security threat. Some states have attempted to ban the app while lawmakers have held hearings over concerns the app is sharing data with China.
While TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is Chinese-owned, TikTok founder Shou Zi Chew has maintained that no data from U.S. users has been shared with the Chinese government. Others have suggested the company is sharing user data with the Chinese communist party despite Chew’s denials.
With TikTok under fire from politicians and Twitter experiencing difficulties after it was taken over by billionaire Elon Musk, Meta appears to be making these moves in an effort to scoop up users leaving those platforms.