Introducing Instagram Reels • Hacker News Board

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#31

Post by strikelaserclaw » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:39 PM UTC

jp57 wrote: post #14

strikelaserclaw wrote: post #3

at what point is competition stifled when large companies can just totally copy competition by throwing money at something. In ten years, we will have an American Samsung.

It is an interesting definition of competition if you can stifle it by allowing competitors who offer very similar or identical products. When I was a kid that was competition.

i speak in the spirit of creating an environment that doesn't allow large companies to destroy small companies by copying their ideas or buying them out, which i believe is beneficial to society at large in the longer run. It is my fundamental belief that if left unchecked, large tech companies will become monopolies in their fields (which might already have happened).

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#32

Post by ceejayoz » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:40 PM UTC

cblconfederate wrote: post #19

matsemann wrote: post #15

Copying snapchat to make stories. TikTok to make Reels. And fb originally bought Instagram. Can the big players just copy or buy every competitor at some point and remain on top?

did they hurt their competitors by copycatting stuff? It seems like tiktok has a different user base that does not overlap with the way ppl use instagram.

> did they hurt their competitors by copycatting stuff?

They kneecapped Snapchat pretty effectively when they stole the story feature, first in Instagram and then in Facebook proper.

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#33

Post by arusahni » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:40 PM UTC

I'm hoping, as they push more to support creation, they address their compression/encoding on Android devices.

On my Pixel, the only way I can get high-quality videos in my stories is by recording using the Camera app, and then sharing to Instagram. If I add any text/sticker/overlay, the final video has obvious artifacting.

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#34

Post by bredren » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:41 PM UTC

wojcikstefan wrote: post #20

This flips the typical narrative of "Chinese companies copy our products and their government lets them" on its head. I understand why this is a valid business move, but I think that the sense of moral superiority over China that is so pervasive in conversations with Americans is even less credible now.

Pod Save America interviews Kara Swisher at the end of the most recent episode [1] And at the very end of that they discuss TikTok and China.

Swisher is no fan of Facebook, but she also sort of casually describes China as have different “values” than the United States with the implication that the values are not as good and that it is not good for a Chinese-owned TikTok to have so much data on US citizens.

It struck me because the comment went unchallenged by the host. I have my own biases against Chinese “values” due to what I’ve seen in my security work and also from what’s happening with the Uighurs in China now.

Is there contemporary moral superiority of the United States over China? I think most Americans would say yes without a lot of detailed reasons why.

I’d compare it to whether Craigslist has moral Superiority over eBay. Seems possibly obvious but the truth is more nuanced.

However, all historical context is set aside to make this statement. United States’ current and past moral failings are not really held up for discussion.

[1] https://podcast.app/youve-got-no-mail-e109788978/?utm_source...

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#35

Post by shiado » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:41 PM UTC

wojcikstefan wrote: post #20

This flips the typical narrative of "Chinese companies copy our products and their government lets them" on its head. I understand why this is a valid business move, but I think that the sense of moral superiority over China that is so pervasive in conversations with Americans is even less credible now.

Isn't TikTok just a Vine clone? Social networks have always been derivative and iterative.

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#36

Post by mpalmer » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:43 PM UTC

wojcikstefan wrote: post #20

This flips the typical narrative of "Chinese companies copy our products and their government lets them" on its head. I understand why this is a valid business move, but I think that the sense of moral superiority over China that is so pervasive in conversations with Americans is even less credible now.

s/copy our products/steal protected IP/g

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#37

Post by tambourine_man » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:43 PM UTC

pjc50 wrote: post #27

wojcikstefan wrote: post #20

This flips the typical narrative of "Chinese companies copy our products and their government lets them" on its head. I understand why this is a valid business move, but I think that the sense of moral superiority over China that is so pervasive in conversations with Americans is even less credible now.

Realistically, a lot of companies copy each other's products and features, within the American tech scene. The cure - software patents - is worse than the disease; remember Amazon's one click patent? How many team chat apps appeared after Slack, for example?

Slack may have discovered a marketing niche, but team chats existed for decades.

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#38

Post by Miner49er » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:45 PM UTC

I see the advantage of tying it in with Instagram, I think it will help user growth early on, but I think it will likely inhibit growth later on. What exactly are you signing up for when you sign up for Instagram? Are you signing up for Reels, OG Instagram, or Stories? Stories at least sort of made sense with the original Instagram, but Reels doesn't feel like a fit at all to me. The bloat of the app at this point seems like a barrier to using it.

Maybe they'll be able to spin off a separate Reels app as well at some point? That's the only way I'd ever be interested in it.

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#39

Post by nicoburns » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:46 PM UTC

pjc50 wrote: post #27

wojcikstefan wrote: post #20

This flips the typical narrative of "Chinese companies copy our products and their government lets them" on its head. I understand why this is a valid business move, but I think that the sense of moral superiority over China that is so pervasive in conversations with Americans is even less credible now.

Realistically, a lot of companies copy each other's products and features, within the American tech scene. The cure - software patents - is worse than the disease; remember Amazon's one click patent? How many team chat apps appeared after Slack, for example?

> The cure - software patents - is worse than the disease

Might that not also apply to preventing Chinese companies copying American hardware products or manufacturing processes?

Re: Introducing Instagram Reels

#40

Post by yalogin » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 2:50 PM UTC

Kinda lines up well with MS talking with tiktok. Wonder why MS wants tiktok still? The US and India banned them and now Instagram copied them too. I do t know how the inluencers move across social networks but why would users stick to tiktok? In that scenario why would MS want it unless its for an extravagant discount?