The application and social network Instagram allows users to add images and videos with various effects, filters, colors, frames, etc. These videos and images are shared on the same platform and on other social networks.
It was created in San Francisco by Kevin Systrom, a college classmate of the well-known Mark Zuckerberg, in 2010. This photography tool was created for the iPhone4 and launched in the Apple Store under the name Instagram. A year later, in 2011, the famous hashtags were created to make it easier for users to find images or videos with the same theme. Finally, in 2012 the version open to the public for Android was born, reaching more than a million downloads in less than a day. The year was not yet over and Facebook bought Instagram as Clint Eastwood would say “for a handful of dollars” but a significant handful of dollars.
Thanks to all the editing tools that the application has, multimedia content is shared with a quasi-professional quality.
According to studies carried out, Instagram takes more than 60% of the participation in social networks, especially in Latin America, Asia and Europe. And it is that the pandemic and its restrictions have caused its use to grow exponentially as a form of contact between users. Instagram continues to attract countless customers, becoming the application with the highest number of new consumers in 2020. During the last year, numerous updates have been created on social networks to improve functions and for users to interact with each other. Two examples are the tools for making videoconferences or those that allow creating virtual events. Instagram for its part has incorporated the participation of multiple users in its live broadcasts on Instagram Live.
Streaming and video calling on the rise
The current confinement situation has caused a notable increase in the use of video calls, whether for work, educational or personal reasons. Users looked for a way to stay connected during the confinements to cope in the best possible way. Spain is a clear example, as statistics show, access to this type of platform increased by 110%.
A clear example is Zoom, a video chat software whose free plan offers a video chat service that supports up to 100 participants at the same time. This cloud-based video conferencing service enables virtual meetings, either by video, audio only, or both, while conducting live chats. It also provides the user with the ability to record the sessions to view them later.
As a consequence of the growth of platforms for making video calls, Instagram has been forced to improve its functions regarding this specific issue. They are currently working on launching a new feature that enables group live video calls from Instagram Live. If I knew everything that was going to happen during 2020, Instagram would surely have published this feature in advance. And it is that all platforms are on the run to place themselves in the number one pole position and defeat the competition.
Group video calls on Instagram Live
Adam Mosseri head of Instagram announced that they will soon launch a new function with which to make video calls or group broadcasts live from Instagram Live. At the moment the function would be enabled for calls in groups of four people, including the person who creates the live. Despite being presented as a novelty, the truth is that Instagram had already been testing for a while to launch this function. The work behind this feature is not new, since the developers of the social network have been handling the idea for years. In fact, taking advantage of the occasion that TikTok was banned in India, the platform began to test live broadcasts there with various participants.
The new function will allow interviews to be conducted by inviting clients and fans to live. Making a video call with more than one user will be less uncomfortable for the participants and will make the connections more enjoyable and pleasant. By adding multiple participants to live broadcasts, Instagram seeks to generate more fluid conversations. It could also be a good start to venture into and optimize the efforts that Instagram has shown in the field of live streaming commerce.
Creating a streaming with multiple participants and that is projected in a massive way is very expensive. With expensive we do not refer only to the economic issue, but also implies a large flow of data for both participants and visitors. Although there is no exact date for the launch of this new function, Adam Mosseri assured that it could be presented in a matter of weeks. Thus, Instagram would be one step away from occupying a land with a generous growth scenario.