Instagram Gears Up to Meet Covid Demands
Instagram Live now “doubling up” with Live Rooms
If you caught me sitting in a café and glued to my phone, there’s 98% of the chance I’m scrolling through Instagram (and 2% for replying to messages, checking emails, or doing work-related stuff).
I don’t know since when checking Instagram has become my daily routine. I spent hours per day just checking what my friends are eating, how many “views” I got after posting a story, which insta-famous showing off her nice outfits and designer bags. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Many of you will agree with me that Instagram is a part of our life.
Especially during the pandemic, the usage time for Instagram goes up tremendously. I spend more time on the features that I didn’t pay too much attention to before — like watching celebrities and influencers hosting a live video on Instagram. Instagram Live lets people broadcast videos to the followers in real-time. It wasn’t a popular feature pre-pandemic; but last February and March, the company says it saw 70% more viewership on Instagram Live.
Recently I just read an article on WIRED that Instagram debuted a new feature on March 1 called Live Rooms, which allows as many as four people to broadcast simultaneously. Previously, Instagram users could only stream with one other person at a time.
The new feature is aiming to allow greater freedom for creators to collaborate on live videos. As pandemic is sending more users to the platform for increasing demand of at-home entertainment, Instagram is hoping to bring creators together to stream podcasts, talks, concerts, and other content.
Instagram is tapping into a crowded market for video streaming. We already have TikTok, a video-sharing app with 800 million monthly active users. We also have Twitter Spaces and Clubhouse Rooms where people talk in real-time.
Given the current trend, I think this is a smart move for Instagram. The platform has roughly 1 billion monthly active users and this is definitely the opportunity that the company doesn’t want to lose its market share. As Instagram solely focused on social media features for a long time, the Live Rooms rollout suddenly has a new competitive advantage for the talents of creators and brings more attention to the current users.
Instagram is trying to create a “one-stop-shop” that will keep the user stay active within the platform. Clubhouse just became viral last few weeks as people getting tired of work from home and exploring new ways to get connected. In the marketer’s eyes, this new app is “a threat of new entry” for Instagram if we talking under Michael Porter’s Five Forces.
I agree with the article that the new feature isn’t just about creative expression — they’re also “a growth strategy” for creators to build each other’s followers and “cross-pollinate” their networks. Besides, Instagram has organized a week of events to show what else the Live Rooms can do. With a heavy visual-oriented strategy, I believe Instagram will still attract a great number of users to try out the new feature.
Since Live Rooms just launched this week, I’m curious where the new feature will lead Instagram to the next stage.
What’s your opinion on Instagram’s new Live Rooms? Yay or nay?
