#Coronavirus: Is Instagram Live a good thing in the time of self-isolation?

Celebrities and influencers seem to have only just figured out the feature actually exists while quarantining!

Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) rendered most of us housebound for weeks on end, the Instagram Live feature was rarely used on the social media platform even by the social elite and celebrities.

But in this unchartered era of self-isolation and social distancing, it now seems like there's someone going live every hour to show glimpses of their lives at home or talking about something that's on their mind, reported InStyle.

Influencers, non-influencers, actors, musicians, you name it - it's like they have just noticed the feature exists. During the first week of our collective self-isolation, Instagram Live became a nice way to feel connected with people, even as we took all precautions to keep each other safe from the comfort of our individual homes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-A3PkSDOoU/

We all met singer Selena Gomez's new puppy via Instagram Live - let's not forget, she is the second most followed woman on the social media platform. Many Instagrammers also tuned into former US first lady Michelle Obama's virtual party with DJ D-Nice. In her session, her husband Barack Obama stayed informed through basketball player Steph Currey's live chat about coronavirus with Dr. Anthony Fauci.

On the music scene, All of Me singer John Legend even held virtual concerts, as well as British singer-songwriter James Blake.

Ali Sethi goes live with Rekha Bhardwaj, Vishal Bhardwaj and Farida Khanum 

Now, as the days all blend into each other and March begins to stretch out into what feels like the longest month in history, it's become a running joke with many meme pages attempting to make light of the new-found obsession with Instagram Live.

I don’t know who needs to hear it but stop going live on instagram, no one cares and I’m tired of accidentally clicking it and seeming like I cared

— 1984’s George Whorewell (@EwdatsGROSS) March 26, 2020

https://twitter.com/selfreference/status/1241504128511217672

I don’t know who needs to hear it but stop going live on instagram, no one cares and I’m tired of accidentally clicking it and seeming like I cared

— 1984’s George Whorewell (@EwdatsGROSS) March 26, 2020

There have been some ill-advised Instagram Lives of late, although. Many trolled High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens for her live when she commented on the coronavirus pandemic. She commented, "Yeah, people are gonna die, which is terrible. But like, inevitable?"

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9xZlt1h8RV/

However, the good outweighs the bad. Take, for example, actor Phoebe Tonkin, who has been using Instagram Live in recent days to read children's books to her followers. And we can't forget millennial superstar poet Rupi Kaur also holding how to write poetry courses through her Instagram Live.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-NaXzHhH5U/

And with the number of gyms and fitness studios that have had to close due to concerns over the virus, many are streaming their workouts on Instagram for free! Bonus much?

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-MuBekDv9-/?utm_source=ig_embed

The longer we go on with this pandemic, the clearer it is that this is a marathon, not a sprint — and that if we're going to stay safe physically and mentally, perhaps tuning into Instagram Live could actually be beneficial after all.

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