Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stunned many with his announcement that he was pulling the plug on fact-checking at Facebook and Instagram in the United States, leaving other countries such as Brazil wondering what will change for them
AFP

Instagram has introduced a series of new updates that appear to be targeting the short-video platform's user base as TikTok faces an uncertain future in the U.S. On Friday, Adam Mosseri, Instagram's head, said profile photo grids on the platform would now show images as rectangles, similar to the layout of TikTok's profile pages.

The change is part of a larger effort to overhaul Instagram's interface in the wake of TikTok's rising popularity.

The following day Mosseri also announced a big update to Instagram Reels — extending the maximum video length from 90 seconds right up to three minutes. The decision is similar to what TikTok did when it started promoting longer-form content in 2023.

Along with these interfaces, Meta introduced a video-creation app named Edits on Sunday. It closely resembles CapCut — a video editing you tool that has found popularity among TikTok creators — and is designed to make producing videos easier. Edits aims to provide powerful creator tools across platforms (not limited to Instagram) and Mosseri confirmed that in a video published along with the announcement.

These updates come at a moment when TikTok's future in the U.S. remains in limbo. The other app, CapCut, a video editing program, also faced a shutdown over the weekend ahead of a law that would prohibit using it in the country. But the shutdown short-lived as Former President Donald Trump vowed to restore access to TikTok through an executive order.

"Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.," said TikTok in a welcome note to its users.

Despite Instagram's attempts, the platform seems to have not entirely taken advantage of TikTok's short-lived break. While some competitors to TikTok had big jumps in downloads, Instagram numbers were flat, suggesting that many TikTok users won't readily migrate to Instagram's products.

Instagram has had a hard time keeping its hold in the short-video market since TikTok's meteoric rise in 2020. The launch of Reels in 2020 was a direct response to TikTok's growing influence, but as Meta faces competition from TikTok and emerging platforms, these latest updates might be a part of an ongoing effort to secure its place in the increasingly competitive digital landscape.

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