Don’t call it a video, don’t call it a GIF, don’t call it a Vine, absolutely not, it’s called Boomerang.

The sepia-tinged behemoths behind Instagram have rolled out a new App that combines photos into one-second videos that can play forward and backward in a loop. 

Although Boomerang videos have to be shot within the app, they can be shared on Instagram and elsewhere online. 

With the massive popularity of GIFS - in all their ‘Thug life’ and ‘Hotline Bling’ meme glory - Facebook-owned Instagram are looking to rival Apple’s new 'Live Photos' feature on iPhone 6s and establish themselves in the short video market, which is currently dominated by the seven second successes of Vine.

In a statement on their official blog, Instagram wrote: ‘Capture a friend jumping off a diving board, defying physics as she flies back and forth through the air. Or get that exact moment your friend blows out his birthday candles, then watch them come back to life again and again.’

Instagram currently has 400 million active users, with 80 million photos - mostly of avocados - posted every day.

The most liked photo ever is a snap of Kendall Jenner asleep on the floor, where her hair has somehow arranged itself into arty heart shapes.

Find out more about Boomerang here.

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