Instagram is jumping on the live video trend and users will soon be able to share live videos from within its new Stories feature for disappearing posts.
Live videos, which will start to roll out to users globally in the coming weeks, will broadcast to a person's Instagram followers in the main feed. People will be able to leave comments and likes during the broadcast. But live videos will not save after the broadcast ends.
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have all made live video a priority. Twitter has focused on deals with broadcasts for events like NFL games and presidential debates. Meanwhile, Facebook has encouraged public figures and online publishers to post Live videos by funding their efforts. But Instagram will look to stand out with a more casual approach to the format by tying it to Stories, which has been billed as a low-pressure way to connect with friends and other followers.
Instagram is also making an update to Direct private messaging platform. In a move that mirrors Snapchat, Instagram will allow people to send disappearing photos and videos to groups and one-on-one conversations via Direct. The feature works much like Stories, except instead of disappearing after 24 hours the post disappears after it has been viewed.