Instagram Vs. Vine

I've been using the photo sharing app Instagram for about a year or so now and, even though I don't post nearly as much as some people, I enjoy using it because it's a unique type of social networking in that it only focuses on posting photos (unlike Facebook, which is cluttered with just about everything.)

A couple months ago I heard about Vine, the iPhone app that is basically Instagram for six-second videos. I thought that idea was just as creative and unique as Instagram so I was really excited when Vine came to Android so I could try it out. Unfortunately I haven't posted many videos (or "vined," as the young people say) but I have seen enough of other people's videos to be a fan of the app.

A couple weeks ago Instagram introduced a feature that allows posting videos so they can compete with Vine's service. As much as I love Instagram, this kind of annoyed me and I feel compelled to write about it.

I do understand that there is a strong rivalry between Instagram and Vine, which is because Instagram is owned by Facebook and Vine is owned by Twitter. Those two companies have their own rivalry going on (I have no idea why, considering they are completely different and plenty of people use both.)

However, I was irritated that Instagram is now doing video because I was excited to try this completely new and different thing (like all people, I love whatever is shiny and new) and now Instagram is providing a similar, and arguably better, service so now I am forced to decide between the two. I know I could just use both, but that would just be too much to worry about.

I am also annoyed because I am tired of having to hear about all of this competition between services that shouldn't be competing. I understand competition between Facebook and Google + (you remember Google +, right?) But the rivalry between Instragram and Vine is similar to the aforementioned rivalry between their parent companies, because they really weren't the same. Similar? Sure. But not necessarily the same. It's not as if Vine also had photo sharing.

I'm sure it is beneficial for Instagram to do video because it attracts more use so, from a business standpoint, I completely understand why Instagram introduced video. But, I just wish, in this case, Instagram had just kept doing only photos and let Vine have their thing.