San Francisco (AFP)

Like television or radio talk shows, the wave of popularity of conversations broadcast live is not fading on platforms: Instagram wants to be too, following its parent company Facebook and rising stars like Clubhouse.

The application launched on Monday the "Live Rooms", which allow you to film yourself and broadcast the exchanges with other people - up to 4 in all - live.

"We hope to open the door to more creative opportunities, like creating a talk show, playing music, creating works with other artists, facilitating more lively Q&A sessions or tutorials for your subscribers." , Instagram said in a statement.

The social network, which based its success on photos and videos, already had a "live" tool, but limited to two animators.

It has recently multiplied new features, like many competitors, encouraged by the explosion of digital uses during the pandemic.

The use of direct, in particular, took off on the various platforms, to replace conferences, theaters or sports.

Modeled on the Zoom videoconferencing application, the platforms have created or extended their options to hold meetings with a handful or dozens of contacts, either privately or with modes of distribution to the public.

But these formats have the drawback of causing a certain fatigue in users already in front of their screen, and even in front of their camera, all day long.

This weariness has contributed to the success of Clubhouse, an app launched confidentially last spring, where participants broadcast their conversations live, without images.

Users can come and listen to what interests them, while cooking or walking their dog.

This type of functionality also makes it possible to remunerate influencers, beyond the dominant economic model online: free services against targeted advertising.

“Live Rooms give creators more ways to build their business and make money,” Instagram points out.

"The public will be able to purchase badges for the organizers and use other interactive options like shopping tools and live fundraisers."

Platforms like Twitch (live video game broadcasting) or Patreon (small sponsorship for content creators) have popularized the principles of tips and subscriptions that now finance the influencer industry, with advertising and products. derivatives.

Instagram is also considering adding audio tools and control options to better moderate the exchanges.

© 2021 AFP