Facebook has already made it extremely easy for users to share content from Instagram to Facebook and vice versa. Users on Instagram can share their Instagram Stories to Facebook with a simply share button. Facebook has confirmed with Tech Crunch that they will soon be offering a trifecta of Story sharing that will include WhatsApp. The Instagram Story will be converted into a live status on WhatsApp. Statuses on WhatsApp are similar to Instagram stories in that they only stay active for 24hrs. The text and stickers applied to the Instagram Story will also be shared to the WhatsApp Status.
WhatsApp shares code to allow other applications and websites to easily integrate with the messaging app. This open code is what allowed Facebook to integrate the 3 platforms. WhatsApp is know for its encryption and Facebook claims they will still keep that intact. That being said, users will have to open the messaging app to approve the status update and confirm the post.
Beta Phase
Facebook has begun the beta testing phase already to a select group of people. This testing does not mean that the service will be available globally, simply that Instagram is considering the idea enough to begin a beta group. Instagram Influencers already have the ability to share feed or story post directly to Facebook. Adding WhatsApp into the mix means even more social reach and avenues to reach their users on. This integration of multi-platform cross posting could save a lot of Influencer’s time and generate more growth for these accounts.
Age of Impatience
The ability to cross post Instagram Stories to multiple platforms will be a huge step forward for social media. We are now in the day and age of instantaneous uploads, taking time to upload content to each platform is laborious and time consuming. If it takes users more than a minute or two to upload content they become frustrated that it’s not happening faster. I struggle with this myself. Our society has become so impatient that this cross posting functionality is much needed. Imagine being able to share a status on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Snapchat, LinkedIn, etc. all at the same time from one application. Sounds like a dream come true. This functionality could revolutionize social media even further.
