Instagram has changed our lives… most of our lives. Once waist-deep in Instagram universe, users start aiming for perfection in how dinner should look, how books need to be stacked, how lighting needs to be perfect before taking selfies, how lipstick shades talk about one’s personality.… In short, each little square-shaped picture that gets posted, speak a lot about us. Perfection-seeking Instagram that Mark Zuckerberg bought in 2012 has expanded greatly. Though video content on the platform has been enjoying a steady climb, until early 2020, it largely remained a place for square-shaped snaps. And then Instagram Reels took stage. Suddenly, users were left thumbing through their Reels feed non-stop, like a hammer focused on a nail. A few days ago, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced on Twitter that the platform will be leaning more into entertainment video, which stems from the ever-growing popularity of TikTok.

When it comes to video, in the last one year, Instagram Reels has made big strides. More original content can be found on Reels now rather than re-uploads from TikTok. And songs are becoming hits after being featured in Reels. We spoke to Ajit Mohan, vice-president and managing director, Facebook, India, to find out how Reels is reeling in users one year since its India launch.

Ajit Mohan, vice-president and managing director, Facebook, India

Even till early last year, most users saw Instagram first as the place for photographs and then videos. That’s changing. How is Reels, as a feature, shaping the overall direction of Instagram?

With 70-80 per cent of all data in the country being video, India is a video-first market. Given the predominant role of video in driving online consumption and social experiences in India, video is a huge priority for Facebook. Our video surfaces are Facebook watch, IGTV and Reels.

One of the main reasons why people come to Instagram is to be entertained. Reels is trying to lean into that. We’re leaning into short form video with it, which is not only growing on Instagram and Facebook, but many other apps.

But that doesn’t mean we’re ignoring static posts. If anything, we’ve held on a little bit too much on static imagery at the expense of video. We should be able to support two things and we have done that for a while now. We’re going to continue to evolve as the world evolves around us.

Reels can make a song popular, even though only a snatch of it gets played. How beneficial has Reels been to the music industry and artistes?

We already have partnerships with all significant music labels, which helps people connect and express themselves on Facebook and Instagram. But with Reels, music is driving trends on Instagram. Songs from Indian artistes are regularly making it to the most shared music on Reels globally. In fact, #Sidhumoosewala is one of the most popular hashtags on Reels. Baarish ki jaaye (B Praak) and Lut gaye (by Jubin Nautiyal; featuring Emraan Hashmi) are some of the most used songs on Reels in India.

We have also launched Remix on Reels, which is a new feature that allows people to mix in other people’s Reels into their original posts. Since then, people, public figures, and creators from India and abroad, have used this feature creatively to engage with their community. Musicians and artistes like Arjun Kanungo, Lisa Mishra and Jonita Gandhi have especially used Remix innovatively to allow fans to feel closer to them, by singing lyrics of some of their most popular songs along with them on Instagram.

Additionally, we have also just launched a Facebook Independent Artist Programme, which will make it easier for independent artistes and creators to share their music across Facebook and Instagram products. The programme and an easy music delivery process via distributor partners will enable artistes to get their music everywhere that Facebook offers a music library — free of charge — including in Stories and Reels.

Baarish ki jaaye (B Praak, above) and Lut gaye (by Jubin Nautiyal; featuring Emraan Hashmi) are some of the most used songs on Reels in India

Reels is unique in the sense that it was introduced in India before the US. What have been some of the lessons from India and how is the approach to Reels different in India vis-a-vis the US?

India was one of the first countries to test and launch Reels. It was also the first country to launch the Reels tab. What’s unique to India is its young demographic, diverse culture and entrepreneurial zeal. This is making India the testing ground for innovation for Facebook.

Across regions, the core of the feature remains the same, but what changes is the competitive scenario and usage patterns. In India, because of the great reception Reels has seen, we’re also testing the sharing of reels from Instagram to Facebook. This would help creators with more discovery and reach. This test too happened in India first, and is now beginning to test in other countries.

What is Instagram doing to help creators monetise content on Reels or IGTV? And how can Reels help brands?

Currently, branded content is the way for creators to make money using Instagram. The authentic expression on the platform is making it a place where people are engaging with creators, public figures and brands. This is why 90 per cent of people on Instagram follow a business.

With the launch of branded content ads on Instagram, advertisers have the ability to promote creators’ organic branded content posts as feed and stories ads. There are a slew of examples, be it Hyundai Aura that launched with influencers and saw a five point lift in awareness or a 2.3 point increase in purchase intent for Cadbury Cocoa or Puma India doing fantastic creative execution at the awareness stage. Another one from a small business, is an Ahmedabad based small business which is into gardening, MyBageecha, which is into gardening products, recently leveraged branded content in partnership with Kareena Kapoor Khan, resulting in a significant ad-recall lift of 3.5 pts.

With Reels, brands are using it to share their stories and messages in a short and entertaining manner. Now, Reels ads have also been introduced. These ads will help businesses reach greater audiences, allowing people to discover inspiring new content from brands and creators.

In the US, TikTok sort of gives a feel of the next popular dance move. Is Reels shaping conversations among the youth?

The biggest impact by Reels is the way it is democratising creativity across India. We’re seeing a new generation of short form creators emerge, who’re showcasing their talent and getting a global stage to do so. These are people who’re emerging as creators because of the discovery provided for Reels through the Reels tab and in Explore. We have a number of examples today of people from Jalna, Hisar, Surat, Ludhiana and so on, who have grown their accounts by double, in the past six months to a year.

We’re also seeing local trends emerge through Reels, whether it’s the song Bajre da sitta, the Bole chudiyan dance challenge, the ‘pawri ho rai hai’ dialogue or the theme music of the movie Scam 1992.

A Trivandrum-based girl, Anumita Nadesan, has uploaded her first Reel at the end of last year where she was singing the cover of the song Jashn-e-bahara, originally from the movie Jodhaa Akbar. The reel got 5.7M plays. More importantly, over 50k people created reels with her original audio

In the early days of Reels in India, there were a lot of videos that were re-uploads from TikTok days, something that has reduced over time. How substantial is the flow of original content from India?

There is considerable originality breaking out on Reels. Some are being triggered by trends that are acquiring new meaning because of people’s creativity. Others are also starting trends through original audio. A Trivandrum-based girl, Anumita Nadesan, for instance, uploaded her first Reel at the end of last year where she was singing the cover of the song Jashn-e-bahara, originally from the movie Jodhaa Akbar. The reel got 5.7M plays. More importantly, over 50k people created reels with her original audio.

How often do you try out Reels personally and what kind of Reels videos do you like to watch?

I enjoy scrolling through reels because it helps me discover new creators and trends. In the process, you also understand what’s popular culture and how it’s evolving. I enjoy watching content from @invertedcoconut, because she’s an American woman creating content in Malayalam. I also like the Italian creator Khaby Lame (@khaby00), who’s become an Internet sensation.