Meta contemplating reintroducing activity feed?
Instagram Announces New Video Editing Tool 'Edits' for Creators
Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, disclosed plans for a forthcoming video editing tool, Edits, during a post on Threads last Sunday. The tool is scheduled for release on March 13.
This announcement comes after a series of policy changes spearheaded by Meta, the parent company. The changes are geared towards redefining Meta's platforms ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's second term. Despite the minor nature of these updates in comparison to the broader overhaul, Edits, combined with recent user experience changes, could signify a renewed focus on Meta's original objective: facilitating connections among people.
Edits has been understood as Meta capitalizing on TikTok's ban in the U.S. by introducing a product to rival CapCut, a video-editing tool owned by TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. Although TikTok has temporarily resumed operations in the U.S., CapCut, which is valued at $100 million in 2023, remains unavailable on Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, with no clear path to re-entry.
In response to comparisons, Mosseri clarified that Edits is akin to CapCut but more geared towards professionals and serious video creators, rather than casual users. In addition to video editing tools, Edits will include an inspiration tab, idea tracking, and built-in insights.
Annie-Mai Hodge, founder of Girl Power Marketing, believes that Edits could simplify content creation for small teams. According to Hodge, the tool enables not just content creation but also the easy sharing of drafts with collaborators, resulting in a streamlined approval process.
Beyond Edits, Meta has also begun testing vertical profile grids on Instagram this week, a change that has caused turmoil in the curated influencer layouts. Highlights, previously housed under bio sections, have been transferred to a dedicated tab, with users now allowed to create Reels lasting up to three minutes.
A new section within the Reels tab shows content that users' friends have engaged with. This echoes Instagram's scrapped activity feed, which was removed in 2019 and replaced by the Explore page. Some critics argue that these changes could signal a shift in strategy to reinstate Instagram's role as a hub for social interaction.
Jess Hope, social creative strategist and founder of Create Racket, believes the shift could bring significant opportunities for brands and creators. According to Hope, Meta is emphasizing user activity to inform personalization, pushing content watched and liked by friends and those followed. This, Hope suggests, could foster closer relationships between fans and creators.
In a 2019 essay for Slate, Ashley Feinberg expressed concerns about the elimination of the Following tab, stating that it represented a loss, not just for creators, but also for democracy itself, by removing rare insights into the personal lives of leading public figures.
While some lament the loss of transparency, others recall the friction associated with Instagram's original activity feed, which revealed content habits to everyone. It is possible that Meta is banking on this dynamic, using scrutiny of friends' activities and confrontational interactions to maintain engagement on the platform.
However, Hope remains optimistic, predicting a shift towards more curated activities on Instagram, promoting positive collaboration and community building among creators.
In an expert view, Molly Elvin, head of new business at Socially Powerful, highlights the strategic significance of Instagram's Edits launch, given the uncertain future of TikTok in the U.S. Elvin anticipates that Edits could reshape creator workflows across platforms, transforming the way content is created, edited, and shared. Brands should develop strategies that maximize the advantages of these new tools while maintaining genuine connections with their audiences.
- Annie-Mai Hodge, the founder of Girl Power Marketing, suggests that Instagram's new video editing tool, Edits, could make content creation more straightforward for small teams.
- The inspiration tab, idea tracking, and built-in insights included in Edits could provide valuable insights for professional video creators.
- The media landscape is undergoing changes as Instagram, Meta's platform, is reportedly renewing its focus on facilitating connections among people.
- Jess Hope, a social creative strategist and founder of Create Racket, believes these recent changes by Instagram could provide significant opportunities for brands and creators to foster closer relationships with their audiences.
- The new section within the Reels tab on Instagram, which displays content that users' friends have engaged with, resembles Instagram's scrapped activity feed, suggesting a potential shift towards reinstating Instagram's role as a hub for social interaction.
