For many people, Instagram is the place where you store your collection of “final cut” selfies. You know the ones; you take an hour to get ready, then another 20 minutes to get the ‘perfect’ face, lighting and filter before it’s posted for a measly three likes.

While you might think this photo is taken using the phone camera app, it’s not. Instagrammers are increasingly taking their selfies using the superior filters in Snapchat, posting their ‘Snapsterpiece’ to both apps.

Facebook saw the innovation their users were showing and after having their $3 billion bid for Snapchat rejected, followed suit, shamelessly stealing the ‘stories’ feature and adding a few seconds to the photo time so it’s slightly different.

And just like Snapchat, Instagram has announced plans to advertise on their stories. But why is this bad for Snapchat?

Snapchat has become a force to be reckoned with in the social media world. When it introduced ads, the company forecast $30million of ad revenue for 2016. They met their expectations three times over, raking in a massive $90 million by the year’s end. For 2017, they’re forecasting just under $1 billion.
However, this figure was forecast before Instagram announced it would be branching into the previously monopolised market.

With over 500 million active users, Instagrammers outnumber Snapchatters 5/1. They also have star power, with comedian Kevin Hart posting almost daily to his 40 million followers, nearly half of Snapchat’s entire userbase.

Instagram is also more business-friendly, with 30+ huge brands including Nike, Netflix and Capital One already on board with the announcement. Put those facts alongside the huge name of Mark Zuckerberg and it’s a winning recipe.

As Instagram chases Snapchat this year, all we have is one important question; when will Instagram get the dog filter?