Instagram’s New Feature Is Turning It Into Snapchat!

Instagram’s New Feature Is Turning It Into Snapchat!

Instagram, one of the most popular social networking sites, introduced a new feature and it is certainly not what we expected! You can now upload pictures and videos on a separate tab on Instagram called ‘Stories’. There is no limit to how many you can put and you can be as creative as you like! The snaps will disappear in 24 hours. Oops, did I say snaps? Well, the whole description sounds familiar, right? It is exactly the same concept that Snapchat uses!

And the CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, knows that! In an interview with TechCrunch, he admitted that all the credit goes to Snapchat. They just took the concept and tried to implement it in their system. But the point is, was it even necessary? ‘Stories’ is Snapchat’s USP and to just copy it like that is not a cool move on Instagram’s part. Then again, we can argue that it was Snapchat who started the war by introducing memories. Looks like the two sites are behaving like teenagers who want to outdo the other. In this time of digital space and instant gratification, the lines of originality are definitely getting blurred.

So, what happened when people used this feature on Instagram? Firstly, it’s right in your face when you open the app. If anyone has uploaded a story, a ring like circle will form around the person’s profile picture, which you can tap it to view the images/videos. Secondly, most of us have more followers on Instagram than on Snapchat. So, if you put the same story on both apps, the former is likely to get more views in the same amount of time. Celebs like Taylor Swift have already started getting addicted to it, a bonus for their fans. There are privacy settings which give you the option to limit the stories to your followers or make them public. You can also personally choose who can or cannot view your story. Just like Snapchat, you can add text, emojis, draw stuff, place stickers and make your image more expressive.

While the app war continues to wage in full force, we might as well use these features and make the most of them!

Japleen Kaur

Hauterfly's Lifestyle writer and resident Potterhead. In love with boxes, diaries, food, and conversations. Always in a state of fernweh. (Don't know what that means? Search the site for more!)

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