Creators from all over the world are turning up their noses at Instagram's new policy: videos will disappear from the suggested Reels if they contain logos and watermarks of other apps, TikTok in primis.
The creeping war between Instagram and TikTok continues. The platform dedicated to the visual communication of Facebook has recently decided to put a spoke in the wheels of the Chinese social network, implementing an algorithm that blocks, in fact, the inclusion of videos that have the logo of TikTok - and not only - among the suggested Reels.
The Verge has noticed the choice of the app and gave news on the web. The U.S. website would in fact have noticed an update of the guidelines published by the social on the official Instagram account dedicated to creators. Among the information, there are some indications designed for the creation of quality content, more deserving of getting good visibility on the platform. In the post stand out those dedicated to the use of the vertical format and the sound library of the app, the choice to create replicable trends that can create a large following up to the use of video files in good resolution, for a pleasant viewing experience for all users. But that's not all, as there would be a final indication that "prohibits" the republication of TikTok videos.
Instagram against TikTok videos
In fact, among the guidelines to be followed there would be one dedicated to "recycled" videos. In the post, Instagram advises against uploading on the platform all those contents already published on other platforms, especially if there are logos or watermark visible within them.
As explained by platform spokeswoman Devi Narasimhan in an email to The Verge, the decision is based on the desire to prioritize content deemed most satisfying by users who take advantage of the Reels feature: "We're building on what we learned from Explore to recommend fun and entertaining videos in sections like the Reels tab, thus personalizing the experience. We're getting better at using ranking signals that help us predict whether people will find a video entertaining," the spokeswoman added, "and whether we should recommend it."
In the announcement, Narasimhan reported the results of several surveys of the platform's users. According to the users' opinion, the Reels experience would be less pleasant when the contents are less curated, in low resolution or recycled from other platforms. This is the importance of the integration of the algorithm that, after evaluating these factors, would act on the positioning of the content, making it slide in the ranking of videos to be proposed to users until potentially making it "invisible".
Instagram against logos in Reels, what changes for creators
For some creators, the news of Instagram has turned out to be a cold shower. In fact, especially for those who are just starting out, it's not easy to be able to produce multiple different content to devote to the many online platforms. In addition, there is the technical factor: from the point of view of editing, TikTok provides many more tools than other competing platforms; for this reason it has quickly become the reference point for many video makers around the world.
The issue of logos and watermarks, then, has sparked the ire of users. To eliminate such visual details, it is often necessary to resort to paid versions of apps available in virtual stores. A choice that, especially for those who like to experiment, can clip the wings, nipping in the bud any desire to launch into the world of short videos.
On the other hand, by not republishing videos created with other platforms, no one risks running into copyright violations. Neither the creator nor Instragram.