Has Instagram ended Vine’s 6 seconds of fame? On June 20th, Facebook developers announced the newest feature of the Instagram app: video sharing, formally known as Video on Instagram. The update allows users to record 15 seconds of footage, as well as make small edits such as choosing from 13 new filters, and deleting/re-recording clips in their videos.
Since Twitter’s Vine announced its new Android release in early June, the number of users escalated past Instagram. Unfortunately for Vine, its limelight would only last for a short time. In recent weeks, the number of downloads for the Vine app on Android devices has decreased dramatically. As evidence of this, Video on Instagram birthed a trend of topics such as: #RIPVine, #nomorevine, #goodbyevine, as well as a half-million decline in the number of links to Vine videos on social networks. While it may seem as though Vine has been completely shoved out of the social media playing field by its competitor, Vine has been handling the situation with dignity. Recently, Vine added a few new updates to entice users. A Vine user can submit their posts to 15 new channels, protect their account (which allows the user to approve of people that follow them), shoot video with new capture tools, and it allows users to re-vine, sharing their favorite posts with one tap, similar to its owner’s ‘ReTweet’ function.
Now, you may be asking, “What do Instagram and Vine have in common”? Besides the obvious fact that they are tools that allow users to capture their favorite moments, both heavily rely on the feedback of its users to thrive. Instagram and Vine have loyal following communities, however, the battle between the apps will not come to an end until both platforms actively listen to its users. Let’s face it, social media users want 100% convenience in every social media platform that they use. It is all a matter of who provides what the users want, first. Here are some updates that Instagram and Vine should consider:
1. Saving videos as a draft. Social media users are constantly on the go, so if they need to take a quick break from recording, users should be allowed to come back to their videos later.
2. Tagging. Social media users love to include their friends and family on the fun! Users should have the ability to tag their videos directly, not just in the comment box below.
3. Uploading. While this may be problematic, it is still something that users want. Create an interface where users can upload pre-shot videos from their personal gallery. (This will also hold a lot of clout for advertisers.)
4. Faster processing. Instagram users are having issues with the uploading process of their videos. Sometimes the app tends to freeze or crash and that is not fun at all.
5. Longer videos. Vine users would like to record for more than 6 seconds. Maybe even go the extra mile and allow different time slots to choose from!
Instagram and Vine must strategically plan ways to make sure social media users are getting everything they want out of their apps. Once that happens, it is anyone’s game.
