The trajectory of a human life is largely decided by how efficient we are around spotting opportunities, but that’s not really where the story ends. Once you have discovered an opportunity, you must also know the best way to use it. This is the only viable method through which we can target sustainable growth over long-term. Now, if we look at the history, what we’ll notice is that our world boasts pretty much a mixed level of success in the said regard. At times, we have managed to produce something huge from a relatively small chance, whereas on certain occasions, we have also failed rather sensationally. However, despite every single factor, none of these attempts ever got as much traction as technology did. You see, even though technology was always loaded with potential, nobody really imagined it becoming such an important force let alone a centerpiece across all major areas. In a way, it represented our own limitless capabilities, and building upon that realization, we were able to construct a whole new reality. Today, like us, technology continues to grow, with a facet of its progression reflected quite clearly in Instagram’s latest move.
Instagram is officially ramping up the plans to introduce a new subscriptions’ feature on the platform. As a part of it, the company has now launched an early testing process, which will see only 10 US Instagram creators gain access to the feature. Once that happens, they can offer their followers paid access to exclusive live sessions and stories. According to some reports, the feature allows a creator to pick their own price point from the eight available to them, ranging from $0.99 to a maximum $99.99 per month. After subscribing, users will have complete access even to the previously posted content such as saved stories and highlights. These subscribers will also be provided a special badge, so to make them look distinctive in comments and the creator’s inbox.
While it does bring a host of benefits, the creators might have to face some limitations, at least during the initial stage. For instance, the early tests don’t show any space for creators’ analytics. Furthermore, contrary to a few details flouting around the feature, Instagram is not developing any technology that would keep the users from clicking screenshots of exclusive content, hence any potential leaks here can defeat the entire purpose attached to this feature.
When questioned regarding how Instagram will set itself apart in a market where many new platforms are currently offering subscriptions’ service, the company’s co-head of Product, Ashley Yuki said:
“One of the biggest differentiators here for creators and for fans is just the convenience of the fact that you actually know how to use all these things already. You’re already on Instagram. And we hear a lot [about] the friction of having to do the ‘click out.’ It might seem like a small thing. But in those moments, it can be the difference between having someone jump over your subscription or not,”