Instagram rolled out a new feature called Instagram Stories in an effort to draw people away from Snapchat.
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When it comes to social media apps, it can be a cut-throat business sometimes. When Vine burst onto the scene, Instagram let its users record 15-second videos – which has since been expanded to 60 seconds. Now, it looks like they’re about to take another unique feature from an app as their new update includes a feature called “Instagram Stories.”
As per the update’s description, Instagram Stories allows you to share multiple photos and videos which will disappear after 24 hours. You can comment on peoples’ stories by sending them a private message since there you can’t like or comment a story. And for private accounts, stories will only be shared with your followers, while you can even control who gets to see them.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Instagram most likely decided to take this on once they discovered that more people had spent time on Snapchat rather than their app. Even though Snapchat will remain the popular domain for stories, Instagram is trying to push it out. In a press release, they brought up the number of “influencers” that will be using it during the Olympics:
"As we head into the Rio 2016 Olympics on Friday, we expect both athletes and fans to take full advantage of using Instagram Stories to share their experiences at the Games. In fact, we’re thrilled that, starting today, Serena Williams will be the first athlete to share with her followers through Instagram’s new product, giving fans a glimpse into her travels and preparations leading up to competing in Rio. In addition, influencers such as Nick Jonas, Ciara, King Bach and Connor Franta are also already using Instagram Stories, with more to come."
If Instagram’s stories feature turns out to be an upgrade over Snapchat’s, they might very well lose followers over this. It’ll be interesting to see what Snapchat’s next move will be.
h/t Complex
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