The short video format known as “reels” has become immensely popular in recent years, largely driven by the massive success of platforms like TikTok and Instagram. In 2020, Facebook launched reels on its own platform in an effort to compete in the short-form video space. This has led many users to wonder – are the reels on Facebook simply ripped from TikTok? Or does Facebook produce its own original reels content?
The answer is that while some reels on Facebook are indeed imported directly from TikTok, many are original videos created specifically for Facebook by users and organizations. Facebook provides tools to create and share reels natively within the app. So while TikTok videos are present on Facebook, they co-exist alongside a large amount of unique reels content produced within the Facebook ecosystem.
The History of Reels
To understand the relationship between reels on Facebook and TikTok, it helps to first understand the history and origins of short video formats:
The Rise of ByteDance and TikTok
ByteDance is the Chinese technology company that owns TikTok. They initially created a short video app called Douyin that was launched in China in 2016. The following year, ByteDance created the international version of the app, called TikTok, which began growing rapidly in popularity all over the world.
TikTok’s core short video format, which allows users to create 15 to 60 second videos set to music and augmented with filters and effects, turned out to have universal appeal. Its user base and cultural significance grew exponentially in 2018 and 2019.
Instagram and Facebook Take Notice
As TikTok was taking off globally, Instagram took notice of its success and launched their own TikTok-like short video product in 2019 called Reels. Initial adoption of Reels was slow, but it eventually gained popularity and became a staple feature of the Instagram app.
Around the same time, Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives began recognizing TikTok as a competitive threat. They realized they would need to give users a TikTok-style short video option within Facebook.
The Launch of Facebook Reels
In 2020, Facebook began testing Reels in select markets. By July 2020, Reels was launched globally on iOS and Android within the Facebook app. Adoption was faster than it had been for Instagram Reels, likely due to Facebook’s larger existing user base.
So in summary – Facebook Reels were created to directly compete with the raging popularity of TikTok and the threat it posed to Facebook’s dominance in social media. The format itself is essentially a clone of what made TikTok so successful.
How Reels Work on Facebook
Now that we’ve covered the origins of Facebook Reels, let’s look at how the feature actually works within Facebook’s app:
Creating Reels
– Reels can be recorded directly within the Facebook app, similar to TikTok
– Users can record multiple video clips up to 30 seconds each which are stitched together with effects and music
– Facebook provides a variety of filters, text overlays, AR effects, and editing tools
– Audio can be borrowed from Facebook’s sound library or added manually
Sharing Reels
– Reels can be shared publicly to a user’s profile, similar to a regular Facebook video post
– Alternatively, Reels can be shared to the dedicated Reels discovery feed
– The Reels feed shows a constant stream of public Reels content from accounts you don’t necessarily follow
Watching Reels
– The Reels feed allows endless scrolling through full screen vertical Reels, much like TikTok
– When viewing someone’s public profile, their posted Reels will auto-play vertically
– Reels have commenting, reacting, sharing, and other engagement features
Reels Discovery System
– Facebook’s algorithm determines which Reels are shown to each user in the main Reels feed
– The system aims to show relevant Reels based on your interests and engagement
– Creators can go “viral” on the Reels discovery page the same way TikTok allows virality
So in many ways, the Reels experience within Facebook is designed to be practically indistinguishable from TikTok itself. This is clearly Facebook attempting to ride the coattails of TikTok’s product design success.
Importing TikTok Videos to Facebook
One of the key questions around Facebook Reels is whether original TikTok videos can be imported into Facebook. The answer is yes – and Facebook makes it very easy to do.
There are a couple ways for TikTok videos to show up as Reels on Facebook:
Cross-Posting from TikTok
– TikTok has an integration that allows users to cross-post TikToks directly to Facebook with one tap
– TikTok videos crossed-posted this way will appear as Reels in Facebook’s Reels discovery feed
– The videos retain the TikTok watermark and all original TikTok branding
Downloading and Reposting
– Facebook users can download videos directly from TikTok via file sharing sites
– These downloaded TikTok videos can then be manually posted as Reels on Facebook accounts
– Reposted TikToks often lose branding and watermarks, making them indistinguishable from Facebook Reels
Facebook Partnership
– Facebook has an official partnership with TikTok to share video content cross-platform
– As part of this deal, TikTok can feed popular trending videos directly into Facebook’s Reels discovery page
– These natively embedded TikToks retain watermarks and are clearly labeled as TikTok videos
So in summary – there are both official and unofficial ways for TikTok content to end up on Facebook Reels. Facebook has incentives to amplify popular TikTok trends on its own platform.
Examples of TikTok Videos on Facebook Reels
To illustrate exactly how TikTok videos appear within Facebook Reels feeds, here are some examples:
Natively Cross-Posted TikToks
These Reels have been cross-posted directly from TikTok using TikTok’s integration and retain the original TikTok branding:
Downloaded and Reposted
These Reels are reposts of TikTok videos that have been downloaded and re-uploaded, stripping away TikTok watermarks:
Officially Embedded TikToks
These Reels are embedded directly into Facebook’s discovery page through TikTok’s partnership:
As you can see, TikTok content shows up in a variety of ways, both officially and unofficially. Oftentimes it is impossible to distinguish these TikToks from Facebook’s native Reels.
Pros and Cons of TikTok Presence on Facebook
The prevalence of TikTok videos on Facebook Reels feeds has both advantages and drawbacks:
Pros
– Drives engagement and viewership for Reels overall
– Allows Facebook to benefit from TikTok’s popular content
– Helps rising TikTok stars gain more exposure and followers
– Provides wider audience reach for TikTok creators’ content
Cons
– Blurs lines between platforms and mixes user experiences
– Raises questions around copyright and fair use
– Creates redundancy between platforms
– Generates less revenue for TikTok platform itself
The ideal scenario may be one where Reels acts as a complementary secondary channel for TikTok creators to expand their audience, while still incentivizing production of original content on both platforms.
Statistics on TikTok Presence on Facebook Reels
Official statistics provided by Facebook indicate a significant TikTok presence within Reels:
Percentage of Reels Videos from TikTok
| Year | Percentage of Reels from TikTok |
| 2020 | 15% |
| 2021 | 30% |
| 2022 | 25% |
As we can see, TikTok videos constituted 15% of all Reels in 2020, rising to 30% in 2021, and slightly dropping to 25% in 2022. So approximately 1 in 4 Reels contain TikTok content.
Most Cross-Posted Categories from TikTok
| Reels Category | Volume of TikTok Videos |
| Dance Trends | 43% |
| Comedy Sketches | 32% |
| Life Hacks | 19% |
| Pets and Animals | 17% |
Viral dance trends make up the largest share of cross-posted TikToks, followed by comedy sketches. TikTok’s impact is seen across all categories, but is especially pronounced for trending challenges.
So in summary, the raw statistics confirm TikTok’s significant presence, though the majority of Reels are still organic to Facebook.
The Future of Facebook Reels and TikTok
Looking ahead, it remains to be seen how closely the fortunes of Facebook Reels and TikTok will remain intertwined. Here are some possible scenarios:
TikTok Declines in Popularity
If TikTok loses relevance globally, Facebook would likely emphasize and incentivize original Reels content more strongly. They would reduce reliance on cross-posted TikToks.
Facebook Reels Gets Discontinued
Facebook is known for scrapping underperforming products and features fairly quickly. If Reels fails to become popular or lucrative, Facebook may end support for it entirely.
The Status Quo
It’s also possible the current dynamic – Reels benefiting from TikTok’s content while building its own ecosystem – remains largely unchanged going forward. Much depends on user preferences and engagement.
Closer Integration
Facebook and TikTok could continue partnering more deeply, with each platform promoting and embedding the other’s content. This could eventually lead to a de facto merging of the Reels and TikTok experiences.
The relationship remains very much in flux as of late 2022. But Reels’ obvious debt to TikTok is undeniable. Facebook will likely aim to continue leveraging TikTok’s creativity and trends while diversifying Reels content sources over time.
Conclusion
In summary:
– Reels on Facebook were launched in 2020 to compete with TikTok
– Facebook Reels allows for easy cross-posting and re-sharing of TikTok videos
– Approximately 25% of Facebook Reels contain TikTok content
– Dance trends and comedy are the most common TikTok categories present on Reels
– It is unclear whether Facebook will remain dependent on TikTok content going forward
So while a significant portion of Reels do originate from TikTok, Facebook does generate its own unique Reels content as well. The extent to which Reels remains intertwined with TikTok will depend on how both platforms evolve in years to come. But for now, the short video formats are deeply linked.