If your Instagram͏͏ posts do not get sufficient views, users͏͏ may͏͏ notice͏͏ a͏͏ decrease͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ quality͏͏ of͏͏ their͏͏ videos͏͏.͏͏ This͏͏ revelation͏͏ comes͏͏ from͏͏ Instagram͏͏ head͏͏ Adam͏͏ Mosseri,͏͏ who͏͏ explained͏͏ the͏͏ platform’s͏͏ approach͏͏ to͏͏ video͏͏ quality͏͏ during͏͏ a͏͏ recent͏͏ Q&A͏͏ session͏͏ on͏͏ his͏͏ Instagram͏͏ Stories.
Video͏͏ Quality͏͏ Tied͏͏ to͏͏ Engagement
Addressing͏͏ a͏͏ question͏͏ about͏͏ older͏͏ Stories͏͏ appearing͏͏ blurry,͏͏ Mosseri͏͏ stated:
“In͏͏ general,͏͏ we͏͏ want͏͏ to͏͏ show͏͏ the͏͏ highest͏͏ quality͏͏ video͏͏ we͏͏ can͏͏ when͏͏ someone͏͏ is͏͏ watching͏͏ a͏͏ Story͏͏ or͏͏ Reel.͏͏ But͏͏ if͏͏ something͏͏ isn’t͏͏ watched͏͏ for͏͏ a͏͏ long͏͏ time,͏͏ because͏͏ the͏͏ vast͏͏ majority͏͏ of͏͏ views͏͏ are͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ beginning͏͏,͏͏ we͏͏ will͏͏ move͏͏ to͏͏ a͏͏ lower͏͏ quality͏͏ video,͏͏ and͏͏ then͏͏ if͏͏ it’s͏͏ watched͏͏ again͏͏ a͏͏ lot,͏͏ then͏͏ we’ll͏͏ re-render͏͏ the͏͏ higher͏͏ quality͏͏ video.”
This͏͏ means͏͏ that͏͏ videos͏͏ with͏͏ lower͏͏ engagement͏͏ may͏͏ be͏͏ displayed͏͏ at͏͏ a͏͏ reduced͏͏ quality͏͏ to͏͏ optimize͏͏ the͏͏ platform’s͏͏ resources͏͏ and͏͏ enhance͏͏ the͏͏ user͏͏ experience͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ majority.
Factors͏͏ Influencing͏͏ Quality͏͏ Reduction
Several͏͏ factors͏͏ contribute͏͏ to͏͏ this͏͏ quality͏͏ adjustment:
- Videos͏͏ that͏͏ receive͏͏ fewer͏͏ views͏͏ over͏͏ time͏͏ are͏͏ downscaled͏͏ to͏͏ conserve͏͏ storage͏͏ and͏͏ processing͏͏ power.
- Users͏͏ accessing͏͏ Instagram͏͏ on͏͏ slower͏͏ internet͏͏ connections͏͏ are͏͏ served͏͏ lower-quality͏͏ videos͏͏ to͏͏ ensure͏͏ quicker͏͏ loading͏͏ times.
Mosseri͏͏ also͏͏ noted,͏͏ “It͏͏ works͏͏ at͏͏ an͏͏ aggregate͏͏ level,͏͏ not͏͏ an͏͏ individual͏͏ viewer͏͏ level.͏͏ We͏͏ bias͏͏ to͏͏ higher͏͏ quality͏͏ (more͏͏ CPU-intensive͏͏ encoding͏͏ and͏͏ more͏͏ expensive͏͏ storage͏͏ for͏͏ bigger͏͏ files)͏͏ for͏͏ creators͏͏ who͏͏ drive͏͏ more͏͏ views.͏͏ It’s͏͏ not͏͏ a͏͏ binary͏͏ threshold͏͏ but͏͏ rather͏͏ a͏͏ sliding͏͏ scale.”
Impact͏͏ on͏͏ Smaller͏͏ Creators
The͏͏ policy͏͏ has͏͏ raised͏͏ concerns͏͏ about͏͏ favoring͏͏ larger͏͏ creators͏͏ over͏͏ smaller͏͏ ones.͏͏ While͏͏ Instagram͏͏ has͏͏ previously͏͏ stated͏͏ intentions͏͏ to͏͏ support͏͏ emerging͏͏ creators—such͏͏ as͏͏ changes͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ ranking͏͏ algorithms͏͏ to͏͏ give͏͏ them͏͏ a͏͏ better͏͏ chance—this͏͏ approach͏͏ seems͏͏ to͏͏ benefit͏͏ those͏͏ with͏͏ already͏͏ substantial͏͏ followings.
Back͏͏ in͏͏ April,͏͏ Mosseri͏͏ mentioned:
“Smaller͏͏ creators͏͏ historically͏͏ haven’t͏͏ gotten͏͏ their͏͏ fair͏͏ share͏͏ of͏͏ reach͏͏ on͏͏ Instagram,͏͏ and͏͏ we͏͏ want͏͏ to͏͏ change͏͏ that.͏͏ So͏͏ we’re͏͏ making͏͏ some͏͏ changes͏͏ to͏͏ how͏͏ we͏͏ rank͏͏ recommendations͏͏ to͏͏ give͏͏ smaller͏͏ creators͏͏ a͏͏ better͏͏ chance͏͏ of͏͏ breaking͏͏ through.”
However,͏͏ the͏͏ quality͏͏ reduction͏͏ for͏͏ less-viewed͏͏ videos͏͏ appears͏͏ to͏͏ counteract͏͏ this͏͏ aim.
Does͏͏ Video͏͏ Quality͏͏ Affect͏͏ Engagement?
Mosseri͏͏ addressed͏͏ this͏͏ concern͏͏ by͏͏ suggesting͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ impact͏͏ on͏͏ viewer͏͏ interaction͏͏ is͏͏ minimal:
“In͏͏ practice,͏͏ it͏͏ doesn’t͏͏ seem͏͏ to͏͏ matter͏͏ much,͏͏ as͏͏ the͏͏ quality͏͏ shift͏͏ isn’t͏͏ huge,͏͏ and͏͏ whether͏͏ or͏͏ not͏͏ people͏͏ interact͏͏ with͏͏ videos͏͏ is͏͏ way͏͏ more͏͏ based͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ content͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ video͏͏ than͏͏ the͏͏ quality.͏͏ Quality͏͏ seems͏͏ to͏͏ be͏͏ much͏͏ more͏͏ important͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ original͏͏ creator,͏͏ who͏͏ is͏͏ more͏͏ likely͏͏ to͏͏ delete͏͏ the͏͏ video͏͏ if͏͏ it͏͏ looks͏͏ poor,͏͏ than͏͏ to͏͏ their͏͏ viewers.”
Despite͏͏ this͏͏ assertion,͏͏ some͏͏ users͏͏ might͏͏ feel͏͏ less͏͏ inclined͏͏ to͏͏ share͏͏ or͏͏ engage͏͏ with͏͏ content͏͏ that͏͏ appears͏͏ blurry͏͏ or͏͏ of͏͏ lower͏͏ quality.
What͏͏ This͏͏ Means͏͏ for͏͏ Users
- Those͏͏ with͏͏ fewer͏͏ views͏͏ may͏͏ find͏͏ their͏͏ videos͏͏ displayed͏͏ in͏͏ lower͏͏ quality͏͏ over͏͏ time,͏͏ potentially͏͏ affecting͏͏ engagement.
- The͏͏ viewing͏͏ experience͏͏ may͏͏ vary͏͏ based͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ popularity͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ content͏͏ and͏͏ individual͏͏ internet͏͏ connection͏͏ speeds.Conclusion
Instagram’s strategy to adjust video quality based on engagement levels aims to optimize resources and enhance the overall user experience. However, this approach may inadvertently disadvantage smaller creators and reduce the visibility of less-viewed content.
