Instagram Video Quality Adjustments: What It Means for Creators
In a recent Q&A on his Instagram Stories, Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared some insight into the platform's approach to video quality in Stories and Reels. Mosseri explained that Instagram may reduce or enhance video quality based on user engagement.
When asked why some older Stories appear blurry, Mosseri noted that Instagram aims to show the highest quality possible when people view a Story or Reel. However, if a post isn’t getting many views after a while, the quality may be downgraded to save resources, with a chance of re-upgrading if it gains traction again. Additionally, if a viewer has a slower internet connection, Instagram will automatically load a lower-quality version to ensure faster playback.
This system makes sense in terms of conserving resources and optimizing user experience by focusing quality on more popular content. However, it does mean that posts with fewer views might see a drop in playback quality, which could unintentionally hurt engagement over time.
Addressing the potential bias this could create, Mosseri clarified that these adjustments work on a broader, aggregate level rather than on an individual viewer level. This means creators with consistently high views are more likely to get higher quality on average, which may disadvantage smaller creators. This seems counterintuitive to Mosseri’s previous efforts to help smaller creators gain reach, as Instagram recently updated its algorithm to favor smaller accounts.
Finally, Mosseri emphasized that the quality shift isn’t usually noticeable and, more importantly, content relevance matters more than video quality for viewer engagement. Still, for creators who care about video presentation, seeing content downgraded may feel discouraging.
So, if you notice older content looks a bit blurry, it may be Instagram's effort to balance resources. While Mosseri assures us that the impact is minimal, it’s something to watch if your engagement metrics dip unexpectedly on older posts.