Meta launches “Instagram Channels”; an attempt to copy Telegram

Mark Zuckerberg, on Thursday, announced the launch of Instagram’s new broadcast channels, a move that can be seen as a copycat of an already existing feature on the Telegram app.

Now, users who choose to subscribe to a channel can receive updates and messages from their favourite creators. Similar to Telegram Channels, followers won’t have the ability to post, however they can “emoji-react” to content and vote in polls.

On his channel, aptly titled “Meta Channel,” Zuckerberg plans to provide news and updates on all the products and tech they company is building at Meta.” He claims he’ll be the one to break news on Meta Channel first, which, if you ask me, is just a sneaky way to get more people to subscribe.

As you can see from the image above, it appears the feature is currently being tested with a small group of creators, some of whom are set to launch broadcast channels same day the news broke.

If granted access, you will be able to create a channel from your Instagram inbox, and you will soon be able to pin the channel link to your profile to make it easier for others to join. You can make your channels accessible to all of your subscribers, or you can make them accessible only to paid subscribers.

Instagram wants to help businesses better connect with their audiences

This is Instagram’s latest attempt to capitalise on the growing popularity of direct messaging within the app, where more users spend their time than on Stories or the main feed.

Meta considers this a crucial issue that needs to be fixed. While overall usage of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram is on the rise, a recent analysis by The Wall Street Journal shows that users are posting fewer personal updates and are less engaged with the platforms than they once were.

According to WSJ, “Data gathered in the middle of the fourth quarter showed that time spent on [Facebook] was up worldwide, including in developed markets, over the course of a year.”

This is in line with the general trend of people preferring private messaging to public status updates, and Channels may provide an additional entry point for this shift by allowing content creators and brands to interact with their audience in a more natural and native way.

This could be a straightforward approach to enhancing connections with the target audience. As Zuckerberg points out, Channels feature is currently only accessible on the Instagram app, but it will roll out to Messenger and Facebook “in the coming months.”

An important factor to think about as you work to expand your brand.