If the news is to be true, a recently leaked marketing clip reveals that Instagram is making a competitor platform to rival Twitter.
Although the slide does not give away a name for a separate app, it’s being billed as “Instagram’s new text-based app for conversations” under the apparent codename of P92 Barcelona.
This tool will supposedly allow users to sign in with their username and password for Instagram, with their bio, handle, followers, and verification, all transferring over from the app.
As of 2023, famous football star Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed account on Instagram.
In the tool, users will see a feed displayed, allowing them to make text posts up to 500 characters at a time with links, videos, and photos.
It sounds like an amalgamation of Twitter and Instagram put together, with Meta apparently having control over moderation, “equipping you with settings to control who can reply to you and mention your account.” It also transfers over blocked users from Instagram, according to The Verge.
What’s more, the Instagram text application will have some decentralization, becoming compatible with other tools like Mastodon, says the slide. “Users on these other apps will be able to search for, follow, and interact with your profile and content if you’re public, or if you’re private and approve them as followers.”
These leaks have become so widespread that even Linda Yaccarino, the newly christened CEO of Twitter, has issued a public response, saying “game-on.”
If this tool / new addition to Instagram is successful, it could make the photo-sharing platform already more popular than it is. Still, despite the public outcry, Twitter is doing very well in terms of users and revenue.