A few days ago, Instagram pulled the trigger on their newest feature: Instagram Stories. I’ll be the first to admit, it’s a complete rip off of Snapchat Stories. With pictures disappearing in 24 hours, the ability to write text and draw, and more, it’s an exact clone of Snapchat. One of my followers even pointed out that the gestures are almost identical. “It’s a rip off!” People say. But will Instagram Stories really be a flop? Only time will tell.

IGStories1“We Hate It,” People Say

Ever since it’s launch, all people post on their story is their Snapchat username. They gripe and complain about how it is copying Snapchat, yet.. people are using it. Sure, they’ll gripe, but my followers have continued to update their story.. just as they would with Snapchat. So, what’s really going on here? Are people really not going to use it, or are they just complaining and then conforming to the feature?

Initially, I Loved It

At first, I thought it was great! While I will still admit that they totally ripped off Snapchat, I just don’t remember to post to Snapchat – I’ve never truly engaged in the platform, but I’m always wanting to post to Instagram (but worried about over posting). In addition, I have far less followers on Snapchat than I do on Instagram, so I will get much more views and exposure by using Instagram.

There’s One ProblemIGStoriesCover

Here’s the problem: There is no way to separate close friends from acquaintances. The way Snapchat is setup, you typically only follow closer friends. With Instagram, you follow anyone you know, which includes acquaintances. Sure, I’d like to see a photo every now and then from my acquaintances, but I don’t need to see their story, and every single thing they do. I’m faced with a challenge: I either (a) unfollow them, or (b) just ignore them. Unfollowing them would seem wrong, but ignoring them can be taxing, especially when you may potentially have hundreds of people to ignore.

A World Of Confusion

To make matters more confusing, instead of posting the same content to Snapchat and Instagram, people seem to be posting different content on both of the social networks. So now we have to check 2 different places for someone’s story? Could it get any worse? In a world where teenagers are “in tune” with each other socially, this just adds a lot of complication to things. Now teenagers will feel the need to check 2 different apps for what is essentially the same thing.

What Was A Good Concept Turned Horrible

Well, I was sold on Instagram Stories for a few hours. Unfortunately, as of now, I’m not fond of the feature. It has amazing potential, since all of my existing followers will see it. I don’t have to build up a new follower base like in Snapchat, but that may just be the better thing to do. Instagram Stories has created nothing but hate, and pure confusion. No one wants to check 2 places for stories, and no one wants to have hundreds of stories forced in front of their faces. Instagram needs to do some major tweaking to Stories. They almost need a separate app, but at that point, they’d definitely be copying Snapchat.

Ironically, I Bet Snapchat Is Happy

There’s one thing that Instagram Stories has done for sure, and that’s boost Snapchat. With everyone posting their username, it’s pure advertising for Snapchat. We are now constantly refreshed of Snapchat each time we open Instagram. We instantly think about Snapchat now. For those who are committed to Snapchat, this is a good thing, as Instagram is another popular app that Snapchatters may also use.

Will Stories Take Off?

Only time can really tell if Stories will be successful. I’m sure I might warm up to the feature, and it could go any direction at this point. I think it needs a week or so to set, and then we’ll start to see it’s fate.

Conclusion

Instagram Stories is a great concept, but there are many problems with it. As of now, I’d stick to Snapchat.

Kevin Nether