You might have read our story the other day speculating about Instagram introducing a feature that directly competed with Twitter.
Person holding black Samsung android smartphone and using Instagram. Photo by Nathan DumlaoIf you missed that story, check it out at this link. As we recounted there, Twitter, as you may or may not be aware, is currently going through it. And Instagram parent company Meta apparently sees an opportunity amidst the chaos.
The new “Notes” feature was unveiled today in an official blog post on Meta’s website which touts it as “a new way to share your thoughts and see what your friends are up to.”
Of course, this wasn’t the only new feature revealed; the company also talked about “Candid Stories” and “Group Profiles” as well.
The first thing we noticed was that, while it is similar to Twitter, it is not quite Twitter. For one, the notes are pretty short – 60 characters – and their audience can be limited or customized depending on who you are targeting. Nonetheless, the addition of this feature, something that people have both wanted and speculated about in the past, brings Instagram that much closer to becoming an app that does way more than just photography and video – a point emphasized continuously over the past two years or so.
Two other new features, “Add Yours” and “Candid Stories” are all about audience engagement with the first asking users to post a picture according to a theme and the second focusing on what users are doing right then and there. Again, the audience for such posts can be customized thus allowing for a varied experience depending on who you’re trying to reach.
A new feature group that sounds like Instagram is bringing the popular Facebook feature to its platform with people able to share and collaborate within that space. Along those lines, a new collaboration feature will allow for collaborative collections between users.
Any thoughts on Instagram’s latest additions? Let us know your thoughts on Instagram – or Twitter – in the comments.
Check out some other photography news at this link.
[Meta]
