Arielle | @_ArielleHope

Twitter made social media news recently with its release of a photo-filter maker similar to Instagram. If you’ve recently downloaded or upgraded your Twitter app you will notice the photos feature allows you to use photo-editing tools to tweak you’re picture, much like if you were using Instagram. But why launch this feature when so many people already tweet their Instagram pictures?

Well let’s just say after its arch nemesis, Facebook, bought out Instagram for $1 billion in early 2012 Twitter’s relationship with Instagram drastically changed.

Twitter first decided to turn off the “Find Feature” on Instagram which allows users to find their Facebook or Twitter contacts and follow them on the photo-sharing app. Instagram then launched website based profiles which displays users’ pictures in a Facebook-like format.

Twitter finally decided to work with five-year-old, mobile-software development company, Aviary, to add photo filters to Android and iPhone Twitter apps, while Instagram launch crop and scaling tools to its features.

(Twitter filter)

This Twitter versus Instagram war is in for the long haul, one might say. Which in turn, leaves users caught in between using “Vintage” or “Earlybird”. Many are left wondering what the fate of Instagram will be at the hands of Twitter’s filter feature. Well, what Instagram offers is a feature most social media sites could actually offer on their own sites with the right tools, especially with the photo-sharing trend we are seeing nowadays.

(Instagram filter) 

Twitter did just that. They used an ally to build a way for them to offer their users a way to filter their photos without using an outside source. Facebook even experimented with a photo filter app.

Whatever the fate of either site, this is only the beginning of bigger and better changes in the world of social media. How do you feel about the change?