In a conversation on Instagram Channels today, the head of the platform, Adam Mosseri, confirmed to Mark Zuckerberg that it would be launching the ability to reply to posts on Instagram using GIFs in the comments.
Instagram Channels is a feature that was launched earlier this year which is very similar to that which already exists as a part of Telegram, and is restricted to the mobile Instagram apps, with channels only accessible to followers.
The feature works exactly as it does on Facebook, where a user would select the option to choose a GIF from a selection or search for one on Giphy (which Meta has already been ordered to sell off by the UK"s Competition and Markets Authority), so expect comment threads to turn into a long list of reaction GIFs and memes very quickly.
This was not the only feature to be announced during this chat, as Mosseri also confirmed that Reels will be gaining lyrics as well, with it improving the existing auto-caption sticker that was introduced in 2021, which gives a timeline on the Reels interface that allows for captions and audio to be synced more accurately.
Source: Engadget