Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels were added as a feature in 2020 and were originally 15 seconds long . 29 These are short videos with music included, remarkably similar to the style of TikTok videos. Instagram Reels can now be up to 90 seconds and can also be cross shared on Meta’s other platform, Facebook. Instagram Reels are the fastest - growing feature of Instagram worldwide and are expected to have over 2.35 billion users each month . 30 Instagram reels rival TikTok surrounding posting short videos to which users have an endless scroll of options to see, and utilize this persuasive design so users can always stay on Instagram instead of switching to TikTok .
Photo by BuddyMantra.
Direct Messaging (“DMs”)
Instagram has the option for users to communicate one -to- one by messaging privately. Direct Messaging, or ‘DMs,’ is a private message inbox within the Instagram app. This is a feature that allows users to communicate privately, like text messaging, or also the option to create group chats to communicate with multiple users at once . Yes, Instagram DMs are where our youth receive private messages from their friends and participate in group chats, but there is also the possibility they may receive messages from strangers. Furthermore, there is currently no way to disable Instagram DMs. If you do not follow a user, yet they message you, this is filtered into a section called Message Requests. Within this section, there is further filtration to ‘Hidden Requests,’ where Instagram may hide a DM from your generic Message Requests screen if it deems the message as potentially inappropriate. It is important to note that photos, videos, and voice recordings can be sent through Instagram DMs, including from accounts that are not mutual (does not follow the user/the user does not follow them). Additionally, users can enable “Vanish Mode,” similar to Snapchat’s feature, which deletes chats after a recipient views them. 31
29 Instagram Reels 30 Instagram Reels Stats 31 Instagram Vanish Mode
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