On Tuesday, Instagram continued to move forward(?) by releasing a feature that gives users the ability to broadcast a live video, and then invite a friend to join them on camera.
For those wondering how the hell that works, a user (say, you) can invite any viewer currently watching your broadcast into your chat by tapping an icon displayed on the bottom right of the screen. The live shot then appears in a split-screen display that places the host at the top and the invitee at the bottom. It's not rocket science, but if you want to see exactly how this would work, that picture up top should be helpful.
Now it's probable that, if you are on IG right now, you're not seeing it. But that actually makes perfect sense, because the powers that be at Instagram are only currently testing it with a small collection of users. They plan to unveil it on a global scale over the next few months, which should give you time to consider whether you need this in your life or not.
Also, as Mashable notes, the platform will differentiate itself from similar sounding video chats (like Skype/FaceTime/Snapchat) because it isn't private, and will fit with the social media thing of broadcasting publicly so that all your followers can view it in real time. With that in mind, watch what you say and do. Additionally, the live videos can be saved and shared on your IG stories.
Snapchat's not going to be thrilled with this.
