Same day as TikTok ban, Instagram announces Edits, a new video editing app
USA TodayFEB 3
Report: Instagram Planning Standalone Reels App To Challenge TikTok
Above: The Instagram Reels logo. Image copyright: Pavlo Gonchar/Contributor/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The separation of Reels into a dedicated app represents a strategic opportunity to capture TikTok's market share during its regulatory challenges. Meta can also potentially streamline the main Instagram experience and better serve users who prefer a dedicated short-form video platform.
Narrative B
Splitting Reels from Instagram could fragment the app's user base and potentially devastate Instagram's engagement metrics. Reels currently drives significant traffic and represents the platform's fastest-growing content type, making the move unnecessarily risky for Meta's core business.