Meta reports Instagram engagement boost due to TikTok-like AI Reel suggestions

Meta is benefiting from following the steps of TikTok. The company did it by introducing its own AI-powered content recommendations via Reels, which follows the same idea as how TikTok captured the public. According to the Instagram and Facebook parent company, “it’s clear that people value short-term video.”

It is undeniable that TikTok has taken the world by storm, and it ultimately became a threat to different social media platforms around the globe. This includes Meta’s Instagram and Facebook. The company, however, found a way to survive this problem: by introducing its content in a TikTok-like experience. This led to the birth of Reels, which benefits Instagram now. In its first quarterly earnings call for 2023, Meta shared that Instagram saw a 24% increase in time engagement after the launch of Reels.

“We’re very pleased with what we’ve seen Reels drive in terms of incremental engagement on the platform so far.” Meta CFO Susan Li shared the news, saying this increase extends to Reels sharing. “We’re seeing the sharing flywheel take off with Reels re-shares, with re-shares doubling over the last six months.”

The company seems determined to pursue this path as it continues to roll out more Reels features that greatly resemble those on TikTok. For instance, it recently delivered a timeline editing feature similar to what TikTok offers. It is in the form of a “unified” editing screen, which gives users a place to easily access video clips, audio, stickers, and text tools. Aside from this, Meta also recently released some creator-focused features as it tries to make the place more enticing for creators, who serve as one of the crucial foundations of platforms like TikTok and Instagram these days.