Instagram announced that in order to go live on the platform, users must now have a public account with at least 1,000 followers. Regardless of their follower level or whether their account is private or public, Instagram has up until now let anyone to go live.
The decision will impact regular users who enjoy going live with their friends for pleasure as well as smaller creators on the platform who don’t meet the 1,000 follower criterion.
When attempting to go live, users without public accounts and with fewer than 1,000 followers will see a new notification indicating that their account is no longer eligible for Live. The notice continues, “We changed requirements to use this feature. Only public accounts with 1,000 followers or more will be able to create live videos.”
Social media users have voiced their disapproval of the shift, with some calling for its reversal.
Since the short-form video app also needs users to have at least 1,000 followers in order to go live, the update puts Instagram’s live feature more in line with TikTok’s. By contrast, YouTube mandates that channels have at least 50 subscribers before they may launch.
The company stated that the update is intended to enhance the overall Live consumption experience, but it did not specify why.
By restricting live streaming to those with an established audience, the modification may restrict lower-quality streams.
Additionally, it might allow Meta to save money. It’s possible that Meta has made the decision not to accept broadcasts with a small audience because livestream hosting is costly.