To encourage more people to join Instagram’s Live Rooms beta test, the company has introduced Live Rooms today. In contrast to the previous limit of two, this new feature allows four people to video chat in a live broadcast, and this will be available globally. In a blog post made today, Instagram claims the feature encourages people to start their own talk show, host a jam session, or work together with other creators.
We expect the number of attendees in the rooms to increase with more participants. All followers will see the live room and will be notified via notifications if they are part of an ongoing event in the live room. All people who are blocked by the live participants will be unable to join.
The simple comparison to make here is to Clubhouse, the popular social audio app that enables people to broadcast themselves within the community. More than 10 people can talk at once, and rooms can host 8,000 attendees before they are at capacity. Facebook is apparently creating a direct competitor called Facebook Live, but Instagram Live could capture some users who might be interested in Clubhouse but are unable to use it due to their platform. This is due to it being invite-only and only available through iOS devices.
Unlike Clubhouse, however, which requires people to be on-camera, Instagram Live demands that users look good and be in a photogenic setting. Clubhouse popularity is thriving because it only requires a phone connection and lowers the audio expectation. People frequently talk when they are in the car, while out for a walk, or in a loud setting. Even so, Live Rooms should do well on the platform as people look to their followers and depend on the high energy people in a room will bring.
