Instagram Announces Instagram Lite, and Next Edition of its ‘Born on Instagram’ Creator Programme

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | December 16, 2020 | News

Instagram Facebook India Facebook Fuel For India

At the ongoing ‘Facebook Fuel For India’ virtual event, Facebook-owned photo and video-sharing social networking service Instagram highlighted the way it is democratizing expression for people in India, launching the test version of Instagram Lite in India, as well as the second edition of the ‘Born on Instagram’ creator programme. 

Instagram showcased the slew of new features in the past few months that have either debuted in India or India has been one of the first countries to test it. This includes Reels, the Reels tab and Live Rooms.

Vishal Shah, VP of Product, Instagram at Facebook, said, “India is such an important country for us and has been a testing ground for innovation, thanks to the natural creativity and entrepreneurial spirit we see here. With the test of Instagram Lite, and the next edition of Born on Instagram, we’re aiming to democratize expression and creativity for a greater number of people in India. We’re also hoping to gain valuable insights before a global roll-out of Instagram Lite.”

Why Instagram Lite is being tested in India

Instagram is extending the test of Instagram Lite to people in India after research conducted early this year on the attractiveness and comprehension of new products found that compromised Internet experience is a barrier, as a result of low memory phones and heavy-sized apps. This set the context for the test of Instagram Lite, and India is a primarily test country for it. The app is less than 2MB in size and is built to deliver an Instagram experience that remains fast and reliable for more people. The Instagram Lite app is created to bring the core Instagram experience to people who do not have an Instagram experience today. The app is made for Android and this new version has improved speed, performance, and responsiveness. The experience is similar to the core Instagram app experience, though there are some features that are not currently supported such as Reels, Shopping and IGTV. The app will be available in Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.

Born on Instagram 2.0 for content creators

The event also saw the launch of the second version of ‘Born on Instagram’, designed to equip the next generation of content creators with best practices to use the platform, and enable them with collaboration and mentorship opportunities. This programme, first announced in November 2019, aims to discover, grow and showcase creators from all across the country. It was conceptualized in recognition of the creativity being witnessed all across India and has given a voice to a new generation of creators with a national appeal like Amulya Rattan (@amulyarattan_), Aakash Malhotra (@wanderwithsky) and Dr Richa Negi (dr.richa.negi). In its second edition, the programme has been attuned to incorporate the new features on Instagram, especially Reels. It will go on for a period of six months and will continue to offer masterclasses from internal and external experts. 

The ‘Facebook Fuel For India’ event is being held to showcase the most impactful stories of change in India, and the way the Facebook family of apps are bringing together products, programmes and plans to fuel these journeys and India’s progress.