Instagram is developing a TikTok-like “Vertical Stories” feed… but why?

TikTok is a cultural phenomenon, there’s no doubt about it. The app, originally launched as Douyin in China, was rebranded as TikTok for the global audience in 2018—and the rest is history. So, what’s the reason behind the app’s success? There are plenty of factors, but one of the more unique things about the platform is its exclusive use of vertical format videos, set within a vertical-style feed. Watch a video, scroll down, and repeat (endlessly).

Now, we’re hearing that Instagram is working on something similar. This wouldn’t be the first time that the Facebook-owned company “borrows” a popular feature from a rival app, of course. Instagram Stories is an example of this, with Snapchat earlier popularising the idea of short, snappy videos that disappear after a short amount of time. In fact, Facebook is facing an antitrust lawsuit in Italy for alleged monopoly practises such as buying over rival companies to further embed its status as an all-in-one platform for… everything.

The “Vertical Stories” feed

According to Tech Crunch, a new feature is in the works for Instagram, one that would give the app a very similar feel to TikTok: Vertical Instagram Stories. Yes, Stories are already set in vertical format, but the (potential) new feature will allow users to swipe through stores by horizontally flicking through the feed—rather than swiping left and right.

The feature is still only a “test/prototype”, and the screenshot above was shared by a self-declared leaker and mobile developer, Alessandro Paluzzi. Paluzzi warns, however, that the feature may never actually be released on official versions of the app, so keep that in mind. According to Tech Crunch, Paluzzi says that the feature was discovered when he delved into Instagram’s code, and Instagram has confirmed its existence, although the feature is not being tested on the app yet.

Regardless, the big question to me here is: why? If Instagram Stories is indeed reformatted into a vertical-style feed, where will the main posts and videos on the platform go? Will Stories be incorporated within the main content feed? One possibility is that Instagram shifts the spotlight away from images and feed posts towards stories and short-form videos instead—which would give them the platform to compete with TikTok (I suppose).

And there’s also the question of Reels, which was supposed to be Instagram’s answer to TikTok. If Instagram already has an answer to TikTok within the app, and Instagram Stories are already vertical-style videos, is there an absolute need to incorporate a vertical style feed for Stories? I suppose TikTok—or parent company ByteDance—should take this as a compliment. But on the other hand, there are plenty of users (including this writer) who use both TikTok and Instagram, and it’s a nice variety to have.

For now, however, we’ll have to wait and see if this “prototype” feature ever sees the light of day.

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