Instagram’s introduction of the reels video format has been incredibly positively received, and it seems as though people seem to be uploading reels more than traditional photos. This is so much the case that it begins to beg the question of whether or not Instagram will be dominated by reels in the future, with photographs taking a back seat in favour of their video counterparts.
Well, this is a perfectly valid question, and this is what we are investigating in this article to get to the bottom of Instagram’s new direction. Let’s look at whether or not Instagram Reels will soon take precedence over traditional photographs.
Photos Are The Bread And Butter Of Instagram
While reels and their many variations may be becoming increasingly popular on social media platforms, photos are always going to be the bread and butter of any photo-sharing website. Whether it be Instagram, Facebook, or even Snapchat, uploading photographs is the primary focus of most social media, and reels are not going to affect this to any noticeable extent.
These photos have inspired many services dedicated to making the most of the photos posted to Instagram too. There are apps, for instance, that makes it easy for nail technicians to preview their feeds, posting photos in specific orders to maintain a coherent and orderly whole. Also, there are photo book services that sift through feeds and turn them into memorable photo books to have on one’s own bookshelf or to gift to another.
What Reels Are For & Why They Will Not Replace Photographs
It’s true; there are some surprising Instagram Reel stats out there. Although, perhaps the most shocking of all would be that a whopping nine out of ten people watch Instagram videos every single day. Taking this into consideration; surely reels would overtake photos eventually, right?
Well, not exactly. Whilst reels continue to increase in popularity, the vast majority of reel videos come from a small portion of people, with most of said people being influencers or celebrities. The average user on Instagram does not produce/upload reels, and this is exactly why reels will never take precedence over photographs.
There is just too much effort involved for reels to become mainstream down to the user level, and the fact of the matter is this; people would just much prefer to upload photographs rather than a ninety-second video if they are just trying to let their friends and family know what they are up to.
Truth be told, everything we have said thus far in this article has been purely speculation. There is no true way for us to know what the future holds in store, and in reality, anything can happen.
However, from taking a look at all of the signs we have available to us now, it looks as though Instagram Reels and regular photographs are going to be able to co-exist with one another perfectly fine, and it is extremely unlikely that we are going to see Instagram become a predominantly video-sharing platform in the future.