In October 2024, Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, revealed a controversial approach regarding video quality on the platform. It was disclosed that videos garnering higher popularity will benefit from superior video quality settings, whereas less-viewed videos will experience reduced quality. This revelation has sparked considerable discussion among users and creators.

Mosseri explained in a recent video that Instagram's algorithm aims to present "the highest-quality video that we can," with quality adjustments based on viewership trends. The majority of video views occur shortly after posting; thus, if a video fails to gain traction early on, its quality is subsequently downgraded. This practice aligns with Meta's previous year statement about using varying encoding strategies contingent upon video popularity.

Community Reactions and Clarifications

The announcement prompted a heated response on social media platforms, with many users expressing confusion and criticism. One user even labeled the strategy as "truly insane." Following the backlash, Mosseri provided further clarification, stating that these quality adjustments occur on an "aggregate level" and do not affect each viewer individually.

He elaborated by noting that videos generating more views are given priority in quality due to their higher CPU and storage demands. However, Mosseri emphasized that this method is not binary but employs a sliding scale to balance quality against popularity.

Potential Impact on Creators

Concerns have been raised that this quality adjustment technique may favor already popular creators, perpetuating their advantage while smaller creators struggle to gain visibility. Nonetheless, Mosseri argued that the impact is minimal, suggesting that viewer interaction is more influenced by video content than its quality. Quality adjustments, he mentioned, seem to matter more to the creators themselves than to the audiences.

Despite Mosseri's assurances, some creators remain skeptical about the implications for their visibility and engagement on the platform. As the conversation continues, it raises broader questions about the balance between content quality and creator equity on social media platforms.

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