Instagram yesterday revealed its new “Video Channel” feature in an announcement on its blog. The video channel can be found on the Explore (or search) section of the photo-sharing app.
The Facebook-owned app mentioned that the new channel is tailored to users’ specific tastes, and hence picks out events that users may actually like. “This channel collects the best videos from concerts, sporting events and more so you can feel like you’re in the front row,” mentions the blog. Users within the US will be among the first to get a glimpse of the new future as the rollout will first kick off in the country. Instagram, however, also plans to initiate a global rollout soon enough, which makes sense given that most major events do not exactly happen within the boundaries of the US.
Instagram already has interest-based video channels and even selected curated videos for the Halloween holiday in 2015. The latest feature, however, is mostly algorithm-based. According to Re/code, the Instagram team will only step in when a video is reported. The team will need to do that a lot initially as risqué content shared by users is bound to make its way to the photo-sharing service’s event channels. Imagine the kind of coverage events such as the Mardi Gras will get.
That said, this new feature is another one copied directly off Snapchat. Instagram has already adopted Snapchat’s ephemeral nature by introducing “Stories”— photos and videos that disappear after a day. Snapchat launched a feature with the same name ages ago, and Instagram would understandably have wanted to take the competitive edge away from its rivals. The same Stories feature has the potential to reach more users on Instagram, given that its users have had considerably more time to build a loyal user following.
Now Instagram has copied yet another feature from Snapchat. The photo-sharing application was already looking for ways to connect its audience to global events, so it can be argued that this is a general concept. However, that does not mask the fact that Snapchat has already made advances in this space.
Speaking of advances, Facebook has been trying to outmuscle its rival after Snapchat repulsed former’s advances. The social media giant wanted to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion, but the startup declined the offer. It is likely that Snapchat would have had its features incorporated into Instagram anyways, which is another app that Facebook acquired (and did not design from scratch). It appears that Instagram wants to improve its own offering by taking users away from Snapchat.
Instagram recently introduced the option to filter comments on photos to help users combat abuse, but two of its most recent introductions have been copies of its direct rival. It remains to be seen whether this strategy will succeed as Instagram is not necessarily seen as an app for disappearing messages and videos, and it is always likely that one might accidentally share a private message as a permanent photo. If Facebook continues to replicate Snapchat in every aspect, then expect to see racist filters on the Facebook app soon.
