Instagram now requires users to have 1,000 followers and a public account to live-stream. This change, similar to TikTok’s policy, aims to improve live stream quality and reduce hosting costs, but has upset smaller creators.
Instagram has implemented a new policy requiring users to have at least 1,000 followers and a public account to utilise its live-streaming feature. The social network acknowledged this adjustment to TechCrunch, which is a big change from earlier rules that allowed any user to become live regardless of their account type or following amount. Smaller producers and regular users who liked live-streaming with friends are probably going to be impacted by the move.
A notice appearing to users impacted by the change states: “We changed requirements to use this feature. Only public accounts with 1,000 followers or more will be able to create live videos.”
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This move has created unhappiness among users, with many taking to social media to express their worries and seek that the decision be reversed.
The change aligns Instagram’s live-streaming capability with its competitor TikTok, which likewise has a 1,000-follower minimum for live-streaming access. In contrast, services such as YouTube let individuals with as little as 50 followers to go live.
What Can Be The Reason Of The Change?
Although Instagram has not provided a clear explanation for the new regulation, it seems to be intended to improve live broadcast quality and lower the expenses related to hosting streams with low audience.
Instagram could be trying to guarantee that live streams are of a better calibre by imposing this minimum follower threshold because they will probably originate from people who have already developed a sizable following. By removing less interesting information, this can enhance viewers’ overall experience.
The parent company of Instagram, Meta, may have made the choice for financial reasons as well. Restricting access to individuals with a large audience may assist save costs associated with running several small-scale broadcasts, as livestreaming may be expensive. Furthermore, this action may be interpreted as a calculated attempt to standardise the live-streaming environment by aligning with other social media platforms that have comparable standards.
While the adjustment may improve the quality of live programming, it may also restrict the innovation and growth of new producers who are still growing a following. This has sparked complaints from users, who believe the policy unjustly affects new or smaller accounts.
This most recent modification emphasises how difficult it is to maintain platform resources while serving a wide range of users. Such guidelines could proliferate as social media sites work to control expenses and preserve quality as the platform’s user base grows.