Instagram is better at being Snapchat than Snapchat is

Instagram is rolling out to new features today. The first is live video which has been rumored about for weeks, and the second is disappearing photos and videos through Instagram Direct. The live video is a rip straight from Facebook’s playbook, but the disappearing photos and video is another borrowed feature from Snapchat. All total, Instagram is better at being Snapchat than Snapchat is. On the flip side of things, Snapchat is relying heavily on marketing their hardware accessory as the new fun way to experience and share on Snapchat.

The live videos will appear in the same place as Instagram stories, but with a “live” tag. Your followers will also get a notification of you going live so they can tune in. You will be able to pin a comment for everyone to see or turn comments off altogether.

The disappearing photos resemble Snapchats private message features. The feature is rolled into Instagram’s direct messaging features. You can take a photo or video and send it to self-destruct in different time periods, whether you send the media to either one friend or a group of friends. The new update is what Instagram Direct should have been from the start, but now they’re shamelessly copying Snapchat.

I’ve personally started using Instagram more than I use Snapchat, but most of the content on Stories has been from brands and not my personal friends. Hopefully, the update will push more of my friends to use the service over Snapchat. At the same time, I’m also hedging my bets that Spectacles will make using Snapchat fun but also encourage my friends to do more interesting things.

Tell us in the comments below what you think about Snap…. I mean Instagram’s new features.

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