TikTok has certainly taken over the world: elevating teenagers into superstars, helping artists get their songs heard by the masses, and spawning a new way to create content.
The short-format videos can be anything from a dance routine to a sketch to a political parody to an educational piece about society.
The social media app was unique and different from the likes of Twitter and Facebook, however it looks like it will have some serious competition on its hands.
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Instagram has launched a new feature called Reels that looks very similar to TikTok.
Reels will allow users to put together 15-second videos with audio and special effects, and has all the editing software in-house.
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When you go onto your profile, there will be a little Reels icon that will allow you and other users to see your video content that was published on the feature.
It's been tested in Brazil, Germany and India and now it's being rolled out to Australia.
It will be interesting to see whether content creators will flock to Reels or whether they will stick to TikTok and keep their posts separate for each audience.
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The Sydney Morning Herald says Instagram has been paying some influencers to make content on Reels in order to get it off the ground.
In response to the claims, the social media company said in a statement: "[We] have a long history of reaching out to emerging creators and working to break new stars on Instagram.
"As with previous products, we remain committed to investing in both our creators and their overall experience, and in certain cases, we may help cover production costs for their creative ideas."
It's not the first time Facebook, who owns Instagram, has taken heed from other platforms for new features.
Facebook and Instagram rolled out Stories, which was very similar to the wildly successful Snapchat; allowing users to post short videos or pictures about where they were and what they were doing.
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There were fears TikTok was going to be banned in Australia after politicians highlighted security concerns. Some MPs were worried that users' data was being fed back to China, however TikTok Australia says those claims were unfounded.
Speaking from the Aspen Security Forum, Prime Minister Morrison said: "There's nothing at this point that would suggest to us that security interests are being compromised, or Australian citizens are being compromised.
"We'll obviously keep watching them, but there's no evidence to suggest to us today that [a ban] is a step that is necessary."
The clock is now ticking on Reels to see if it's a hit with Instagram users or a flop.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: News, Technology, Australia
