Meta seems to be taking its short-form video format even more
seriously than before, as the company has announced that all videos uploaded to
Instagram that are less than 15 minutes long will automatically become Reels.
The company has also clarified that previously uploaded
videos will remain as they are and won’t change to Reels. What is a bit odd
about Meta’s announcement about the new update, however, is that 15 minutes does
not really imply “short-form,” so it looks like Meta is no longer solely focused
on short-videos with Reels.
Regardless, the update is aligned with users’ preference in terms of content consumption and would make Reels an even more popular choice on Instagram. As more and more people watch Reels, engagement across the app would increase, which would also result in more views on creators’ clips.
Meta has also announced new creative tools for Reels including
new Remix options, and an expanded access to its Reels templates option. A ‘Remix
for photos’ tool will allow users to remix public photos, while new ‘expanded Remix
layouts’ will offer options to choose between a green screen, horizontal or
vertical split-screen, or picture-in-picture reaction view. Additionally, an ‘add
your clip’ option will let users add a clip after the original Reel, so it
plays sequentially. Lastly, a new Dual camera mode is also making its way to Reels,
which will enable users to record videos using both their front and back
cameras simultaneously, such as for capturing reactions.
While all of the new Reels updates are aligned with the
latest formats and will likely boost enragement across the app, Instagram might
lose its originality in desperation towards an outlook similar to TikTok.
