Instagram Reels show a lot of really odd and random videos people call "Mythical Reel Pulls." Often, these are from people with few followers who weren't actually trying to go viral. Instagram's Reels are still pretty new, like molten lava that's still warm and constantly moving.
Because of that, Reels don't really have their own culture or breakout native memes (although I'm sure that will happen eventually). Things might look very different a month from now, but at this very moment, in the summer of 2024 ..
. is it just me, or are Reels really, really weird ? Let me describe a video I recently saw: There's a man with white hair — I'd guess about 65 years old — in glasses, wearing a white button-down shirt and tie. He has a beard and a thick mustache with hairs that improbably point upward into his nostrils.
Based on the background, he looks to be inside a fairly normal American living room. He holds the phone, stares into the camera, and breathes heavily — audibly — for about 10 seconds. He says nothing during the entire video.
This man has only posted to Instagram eight times. He has only 37 followers. He by no means appears to be a professional content creator or someone who has intended for his content to go viral — and yet the video of him breathing deeply has more than 10,000 views and more than 400 comments.
One of the comments, at the top: "That's it I need to destroy my account. Algorithm's ruined." Introducing the Instagram 'Mythical Reel Pull' A few other.