Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel thinks popular Chinese social media platform TikTok could compete against the likes of Facebook-owned photosharing platform Instagram, which also happens to be one of the primary rivals of Snapchat.
Spiegel was reportedly asked his opinion on TikTok at the Digital Life Design (DLD) Conference that took place in Germany earlier this week. He went on to explain how traditional social media is focused on status.
“I should say I love TikTok, I’m a big fan. Social media in its original construct is really about status, representing who you are, showing people that you’re cool, getting likes and comments, those sorts of things,” said Spiegel.
He then added that TikTok creators view the app as a platform to show off talent rather than social status. “People who have spent a couple hours learning a new dance or think about a funny new creative way to tell a story, and they’re really making media to entertain other people,” he said.
This particular user behavior could help TikTok dethrone Instagram, according to Spiegel. Here is how he replied when he was specifically asked if TikTok could surpass Instagram: “I think it’s certainly possible because this talent-based content is often more interesting than status-based content.”
In case you’re unaware, TikTok was downloaded more than Instagram throughout 2019, according to popular app analytics company App Annie. In terms of userbase, both the apps are close enough. It remains to be seen if TikTok could significantly surpass the popularity and userbase of Instagram this year.
In the meantime, Instagram is testing a video-music remix feature called “Reels”, which is an obvious rip-off of TikTok. The company recently introduced Tiktok-like effects to Boomerang videos. Well, adding unique features of other apps is not something new for Instagram as the company has copied several features from Snapchat in the past.
So, do you agree with Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel’s views? Let us know in the comments.
