Instagram head Adam Mosserie has confirmed that the quality of an Instagram video is influenced by its popularity. Mosseri explained that videos with higher popularity are presented in better quality, whereas less popular videos are displayed in lower quality.
In a video shared by The Verge, Mosseri stated that Instagram aims to showcase “the highest-quality video possible.” However, he added that if a video doesn’t receive sustained views—since most views typically occur shortly after posting—the platform will switch to a lower quality version.
Instagram is downgrading video quality for clips that receive fewer views.
Creators may notice a reduction in video quality for their less popular posts, potentially affecting engagement. pic.twitter.com/QVtXRc0WYn
— ATC Digital Academy (@AfricaTweetChat) October 28, 2024
He had previously explained that Instagram prioritises higher quality for creators who generate more views, which involves more CPU-intensive encoding and larger, more expensive storage for bigger files. However, after Mosseri’s video was shared on Threads, many users raised questions and expressed criticisms, with one even labeling the company’s approach as “truly insane.”
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Mosseri revealed that the performance system operates at an aggregate level rather than focusing on individual viewers, describing it as a “sliding scale” instead of a binary threshold. In response to concerns from a user about its fairness to smaller creators, he noted that the quality shift “doesn’t seem to matter much” since it isn’t significant, and viewers generally prioritize the content over the quality of the video. However, not everyone is convinced by this perspective.
In a recent Q&A session on Instagram Stories, Instagram head Adam Mosseri shed light on the platform’s approach to video quality for Stories and Reels, revealing that video resolution can fluctuate based on engagement levels. Mosseri’s explanation ha… pic.twitter.com/TPtDrYOEQF
— Subham Das (@followsubhamdas) October 28, 2024
Several users argued that this strategy favors popular creators over smaller ones, as the former can upload videos in higher quality, thereby reinforcing their popularity, while smaller creators struggle to gain visibility.
To this, Mosseri acknowledged that the concern is valid, but he argued that in practice, the impact of the quality shift is minimal. He emphasized that viewer interactions are largely determined by the content of the video rather than its quality, which he noted tends to be more significant to the original creator.
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