Apparently, American media companies are trying to make the best of the situation with TikTok and lure its users away from it. Following the ban of ByteDance's popular platform, X and Bluesky are launching their video feeds in the US, and Instagram is offering its users an analog to CapCut.
Instagram and Edits
Unlike others, Instagram has long had its alternative, the video feed Reels, which almost completely copies TikTok. And now the company is launching a competitor to the popular video editor CapCut - Edits, as announced by the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri.
The thing is that CapCut belongs to the Chinese company ByteDance. In response to the ban on TikTok, the video editor also stopped working in the USA. Instagram is offering users an alternative, saying that Edits is "more than a video editing app".
"There will be a dedicated tab for inspiration, another for keeping track of early ideas, a much higher-quality camera (which I used to record this video), all the editing tools you’d expect, the ability to share drafts with friends and other creators, and — if you decide to share your videos on Instagram — powerful insights into how those videos perform," Adam Mosseri said.
Apple users can already pre-order the application from the App Store, but Android users will have to wait. The application will be available next month at the earliest. Meanwhile, Instagram is testing it with selected creators.
X and Bluesky launch video feeds
"an immersive new home for videos is rolling out to users in the US today," the official X page states.
Elon Musk's social network has tried to test such a format before, but later abandoned the idea. Now, US users will find a new tab at the bottom with previously published videos.
X's competitor Bluesky has also decided to offer its users a video feed.
"Like any other feed, you can choose to pin these or not. Bluesky is yours to customize," the company said in a statement.
TikTok ban
As a reminder, TikTok was shut down for users in the US late on January 18, ahead of a law requiring the platform to be shut down for national security reasons.
However, the very next day, the social network began to resume operations after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to restore access to the platform.
In the wake of these events, Americans are looking for alternative apps. One of the most popular is another Chinese video platform, RedNote, which also raises concerns about data security.
American politicians have expressed concerns about the security of TikTok for years, as Chinese companies are required to comply with Chinese government requirements, including data transfers.
