Slack to get Instagram-like Stories and it's not for what you think it is

Team collaboration tool Slack is also getting the Instagram Stories treatment this year. The firm won’t just introduce stories but will also introduce push-to-talk audio before the end of this year. With the introduction of these features, the firm thinks that constant video calling time will cut down along with the time taken by inefficient conversations. This is expected to bring back the impromptu office conversation feel that many may have missed during all these months.

However, before you jump to conclusions about the new feature, it has been reported that this aren’t for posting short videos of pets, food and vacations. In Slack, the short videos are supposed to be used by workers to provide status updates.

Also read: Working from home sometimes feels like you are sleeping at work: Satya Nadella

“It’s very much like Instagram stories, or snapchat stories, but in Slack,” said Slack CEO to The Verge. “There was a joke going around that soon all software will have it, and I thought that was funny at the time. But especially during the pandemic, and the difference in how we as a company are approaching work, means it’s an idea that’s time has come.”

He says that instead of having a 15-minute meeting, people can record the video earlier using the new feature and go on with the rest of the day.

Although the short video feature is still under tests and prototype stages, these will likely show up along side the channels. “It’s a little bit more of a human way of giving updates,” says Butterfield.

Also read: Alphabet CFO beats back-to-office drum, citing tie to innovation

As for the new instant audio feature, Slack CEO says that it will make people feel like they are just talking to their colleagues like they did in office without wasting time. “The idea is we already have channels... starting a call or scheduling a call can feel pretty heavy whereas when we were all in the office leaning over or shouting out to someone a couple of desks away with a question feels very lightweight, so we’re trying to recreate that,” says Butterfield.

This is meant for be for a smaller and agile teams.