Instagram is taking aim at Snapchat and Twitter with this new feature

Curation is the name of the game nowadays, and ever the trend-follower, Instagram is trying its hand at curation with a new channel that features curated pictures and videos relating to specific events. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s very similar to what Twitter is doing with its recently released Moments feature, as well as what Snapchat has been doing for quite some time. 

Instagram debuted a new feature in its Explore section on Halloween — one that seems to channel the best of Twitter Moments and Snapchat to create a rolling video stream. The feature, which can be found by swiping through the Explore Carousel invites the user to “Watch Halloween.” After clicking the play button, a curated video roll appears. The videos feature filmmaker Zach King — who’s popular on social media — pranking a trick-or-treater, model Heidi Klum getting ready for Halloween and Astronaut Scott Kelly acting creepy aboard the International Space Station. Other spotlighted videos star the Obamas, singer John Mayer and celebrity chef Alton Brown. Celebrities aren’t the only Instagram users highlighted by the new feature, which is also being promoted on the app’s homepage. “This is a new way to experience events and big moments, as they happen, through the eyes of the Instagram community,” Gabe Madway, an Instagram spokesperson, told Mashable in an email. “There’s a ton of great video on Instagram, and we wanted to bring it all into one viewing experience. People love to come together and celebrate big events on Instagram, so it makes a lot of sense to do this on Halloween, which is one of our biggest days.”