Instagram announced a timely update to its video feature Reels this morning with the news that the Supreme Court upheld a law banning TikTok in America on January 19th. Meta says the update will make it easier for users to discover content. Friends and followers will encourage users to like and chat about Reels content on the platform.
Creators, especially those who rely on social media to generate income, are planning to capture many TikTok users after the US ban. A large group of TikTokers have already fled to the Chinese app RedNote in protest against the ban. It's harder for creators to monetize their followers on an app used mostly by Chinese internet users, but not American businesses and brands.
On Friday, Meta, which is bent on capturing the attention of TikTok users, announced that it's adding a feature that appears in the top-right corner of the Reels tab, making it easier to see content that friends and followers have liked or commented on. This includes profile pictures of people involved with the content; It appears as a small banner with a heart symbol or small chat bubble to indicate what kind of interaction they have.
In addition, The company says it will introduce a new “reply bar” at the bottom of the reel that will allow users to easily respond to content their friends like. For example, The bar can prompt you to respond to a friend's “Like” with their profile picture and heart scattered across the screen.
Meta said the feature will be available in the US market to begin with.