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Instagram Adds Option For Snapchatty Disappearing 'Stories'

SAN FRANCISCO -- Instagram feeds are going to look a lot more like Snapchat.

The original artfully curated photos will still be there, but users will notice a new section called 'Stories' where photos and videos disappear in just 24 hours.

The new feature will be pushed out Tuesday for iOS and Android devices.

Instagram already increased its video consumption when it lengthened the limit from 15 to 60 seconds last Spring.

Now, the Facebook-owned company has gone even further, going after mostly youthful Snapchat user, who favors fanciful, impermanent visual statements over lasting, archival creations.

Think court metrage... only shorter. Then 'poof!' It's gone.

Stories will appear at the top of the Instagram feed and be ranked algorithmically. Stories created by followers who are interacted with the most get top priority.

There is a tool to choose who to share Stories with, and to track who has actually watched the Story. There are also tools for embellishing the Stories with text, emojis, photos and drawings.

Stories is pretty straight ahead and Snapchat users will definitely feel a sense of deja vu when they try it out. For the uninitiated, Instagram's Help Center gives users pretty much all the information they need to get their Stories started.


CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer and host of The Bronze Report. She lives in Northern California. Follow her on Twitter @janmabr.

 

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