Instagram is potentially working on implementing the ability to schedule Live videos on the platform, allowing content creators a freer rein with their work, as spotted by Alessandro Paluzzi.
Instagram’s recent updates and revamps all seem to stem from a similar place, which is its great content creator push. Which makes sense, really. Creators are big business for any online platform, no matter what the niche. YouTube made perhaps one of the most successful online careers a company’s ever marked, owed almost entirely to its base of content creators (or, better yet, YouTubers). Such personalities add substance to a platform, they invite other creators, create entire fanbases that spend more time on the platform accordingly, and thus contribute to revenue streams more. Be it TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram, everyone’s pushing towards a more creator friendly environment.
Instagram’s made this push rather apparent in their previous update to the basic interface. With plans geared towards allowing brands and even individual creators to set up personalized merchandise and stores on the platform, its clear that Instagram wants to cash in on its burgeoning user base. And livestreams are quite an essential part of that. Creators often inform users about soon to come livestreams by setting up countdowns in their stories. But those are limited to 24 hours in scope, and can quite easily be missed. Therefore, this new update seems like the best next step to take.
But why must we limit this recent update to the confines of creator usage? Surely anyone could make use of this new update, right? Well, of course, but Live videos are gaining a quick trend of being more creator-related than anything else. After all, while Stories, pictures, and videos are chances of sharing glimpses of one’s personal experience with their friends and loved ones, Live videos more aim towards sharing events and interactive sessions with larger audiences. A casual Instagram user won't find much use in scheduling a Live video, since it serves no purpose to them. A content creator looking to livestream a conference, a QnA, or even simpler events such as playthroughs, would want to inform their user base beforehand. Thus, it seems that the ability to schedule Live videos is definitely more creator oriented than anything else.
The update currently seems to be in beta testing, with only certain users being able to access it. Instagram’s tendencies towards A/B testing have been established in other projects as well. But who knows? If it’s already being rolled out to limited users, the feature might see a wide release in only a few months.
Instagram’s recent updates and revamps all seem to stem from a similar place, which is its great content creator push. Which makes sense, really. Creators are big business for any online platform, no matter what the niche. YouTube made perhaps one of the most successful online careers a company’s ever marked, owed almost entirely to its base of content creators (or, better yet, YouTubers). Such personalities add substance to a platform, they invite other creators, create entire fanbases that spend more time on the platform accordingly, and thus contribute to revenue streams more. Be it TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram, everyone’s pushing towards a more creator friendly environment.
Instagram’s made this push rather apparent in their previous update to the basic interface. With plans geared towards allowing brands and even individual creators to set up personalized merchandise and stores on the platform, its clear that Instagram wants to cash in on its burgeoning user base. And livestreams are quite an essential part of that. Creators often inform users about soon to come livestreams by setting up countdowns in their stories. But those are limited to 24 hours in scope, and can quite easily be missed. Therefore, this new update seems like the best next step to take.
But why must we limit this recent update to the confines of creator usage? Surely anyone could make use of this new update, right? Well, of course, but Live videos are gaining a quick trend of being more creator-related than anything else. After all, while Stories, pictures, and videos are chances of sharing glimpses of one’s personal experience with their friends and loved ones, Live videos more aim towards sharing events and interactive sessions with larger audiences. A casual Instagram user won't find much use in scheduling a Live video, since it serves no purpose to them. A content creator looking to livestream a conference, a QnA, or even simpler events such as playthroughs, would want to inform their user base beforehand. Thus, it seems that the ability to schedule Live videos is definitely more creator oriented than anything else.
The update currently seems to be in beta testing, with only certain users being able to access it. Instagram’s tendencies towards A/B testing have been established in other projects as well. But who knows? If it’s already being rolled out to limited users, the feature might see a wide release in only a few months.
