HYDERABAD: Admit it, you are addicted to Instagram reels. All thanks to our shrinking attention span. Watching something that is less than a minute and learning about the subject of the video in that time is what makes reels even more interesting.
While some of these reels take us to a world of pretentiousness, there are others that allow budding artistes to showcase their talent. From food recipes, the places we visit, dances, comedy sketches, fitness tutorials, makeup routines and so much more - there’s a reel for everyone. Shreya Veronica speaks to influencers and artistes about their opinion on reels and how it has helped them gain followers on social media
APOOH MAHI, Dancer
Apooh, who goes by ‘mahiwaay’ on Instagram, is known for her dance moves. Says that Instagram is bast becoming a video-sharing app and that has allowed for reels to get popular. “For dancers or any artiste, reels gives you more eyes. Every month or two, there are 10 to 15 audio clips that are on the radar. Dancers get creative and use those particular trending songs and put it in a more ‘Gen Z’ way. It is beneficial, especially for the ones looking for other dancers or brands. So, since reels started, I collaborated with six brand. There are a lot of things that I do in life, but on Instagram, you just see me as a dancer, it depends on what you want people to see. Everyone is doing well, but there is a dearth of original content,” says Apooh,
ROHIT SWAIN, Stand-up comedian
Rohit started getting active on Instagram over the past year because that was the time when lot of the stuff was online. “We saw reels getting a massive reach during the last year and people could upload anything and it went viral. It became easy for me to edit and keep my followers updated. Reels are the reason I have a good following. I have got more audience and it was reaching people well. As an artist, it really helps me. But a lot of raw talent is not being recognised while random videos get good response,” says Rohit. He says that as a user, reels have become too addictive. “The attention span has drastically reduced because of these reels as people have become used to watching short videos,” he says.
MASEERA FATIMA, Food blogger
Maseera says that reels are the thing that kept her going. “Reels do improve the overall Instagram engagement as it offers more visibility via multiple hashtag feeds. For every perfectly angled and edited glamorous shot, there are at least a dozen less flattering versions. A change of lighting or angle can alter the reality for real. While it is amazing to post your best self if you are truly online to help people, it is important to get real,” says Maseera (Instagram@maseerasfoodblog).
SRAVYA KOTHALANKA, Singer and composer
Sravya says that Instagram has helped her a lot in the last few years to grow. She calls it a platform that is as impactful as YouTube.
“People do not have the time to listen to the project we are working on. Today, everyone is creating art and making videos. There are a lot of nongenuine people calling themselves artists and I feel that reel are not just for artists but for everybody. There are some who are showing the reality and there are people looking up to things that are not ideal. People have important things and on the other hand there are people doing the right thing with the reels,” says Sravya, who goes by ‘ladyskavya’ on Instagram.