Instagram Is Testing A Video Reactions Feature For IGTV
Photo: Jane Manchun Wong
Instagram looks to be testing a new video reaction feature for IGTV.
Reverse code hacker Jane Manchun Wong recently shared a screenshot that displays a new Video Reactions setting during the IGTV upload process. Based on the screenshot, the feature gives users the option to allow people to respond to their IGTV video with a video of their own.
While details are scarce, the feature seems to be very similar to TikTok’s Reactions option that launched back in September 2018. Through Reactions, users are able to post reactions to videos that they watch.
Instagram is working on IGTV Video Reactions,
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 3, 2020
allowing people to respond to your IGTV videos with their own pic.twitter.com/dBAiiPFDXk
Insights & Analysis:
Instagram toying with a video reaction feature for IGTV is the latest example of a social media platform copying or incorporating a feature from another social media platform. This isn’t unique to one specific platform either. Over the last couple of months, there have been several instances of it such as TikTok adding new a Pinning Stickers feature that Instagram has had for a while and LinkedIn experimenting with the Stories format that Snapchat birthed but Instagram made popular.
With the growth that TikTok continues to have, it’s hard to blame Instagram for potentially adding a video reaction feature. Not to mention, TikTok’s Reactions along with its Duets feature, which allows creators to record a video that is side-by-side with another video, have been some of the most popular features on the app. As a result of this and the struggles that Instagram has had with getting users to consistently share content to IGTV, it makes sense that it would try to incorporate a feature like Video Reactions that could potentially increase usage of its long-form video feature.
If Video Reactions ends up being an official feature, I could see it being a helpful tool for creators to further engagement with their followers. For example, a creator that shares thought-provoking videos could enable the setting and encourage their audience to react or share their thoughts or feedback about whatever topics they focused on in the video.
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