Earlier this week, on December 12, social media app Instagram rolled out live videos to its Stories section. The new feature – only available to users in the US at the moment – borrows a bit of structure from its competitors, such as Snapchat’s stories and Facebook’s live streaming option. But unlike other social media platforms, with live videos streaming to Instagram Stories, users can never go back and watch them. So, what happens to your instagram live videos when are they finished? According to the app, Instagram Live Stories are only available when filmed, so once the broadcast is over, it cannot be replayed.
In other words, they simply disappear. And that approach is essentially what sets Snapchat’s stories feature apart – a collection of photos and videos that lasts 24 hours and can be seen by your friends as many times as they want – and Facebook Live Video Postswhich can be shared and viewed over and over again long after the user has finished streaming.
“Live is fresh and in the moment, and that’s how a lot of people on Instagram want to share,” Instagram spokesperson Gabe Madway said Wired in an email. “We thought it made sense to incorporate live video into stories because it’s the ephemeral sharing space on Instagram.”
This can be a frustrating approach for some users who want to rewatch a particularly interesting live video that they themselves streamed or another user’s video. But structuring it so that the videos disappear as soon as you press “End” makes sense.
Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, already offers live videos that can be replayed and shared to watch again at any time. But, the most different factor about Instagram’s approach is that it gives users another outlet to attract a different type of audience by sharing intimate moments with their followers (or anyone who wants to watch if your account is public) which shows them frankly and totally unpublished.
If it’s still enticing, don’t worry if you’ve never gone live on Instagram before because it’s super easy, but just make sure you have a strong internet connection when you plan to start your broadcast. .
After opening the app, tap the camera icon in the upper left corner and tap “Live” at the bottom of the screen. Next, tap “Start Live Video”. Instagram will then check your internet connection and, if everything checks out, it will give you a three-second countdown to the start of your live recording, which you can share for up to an hour.
Here’s a quick tutorial on how to use Instagram Live Videos:
“Your friends can get notified when you go live so they can tune in,” Instagram wrote in a blog post last month. “While you’re live, you can pin a comment for everyone to see or disable comments altogether.”
Although some users may be disappointed that they cannot replay or save their live videos that they posted on Instagram, there are certainly enough social media applications in the ever-changing technological world to keep us entertained and to meet our needs at any time.
