For Instagram users, it’s not uncommon to revisit an old Story or Reel only to find it looking blurry or low-quality compared to when it was first posted. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, recently addressed this phenomenon during an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on his Instagram, explaining why video quality on the platform can sometimes decline. According to Mosseri, it all boils down to prioritizing performance and resources.
Why Instagram Lowers Video Quality Over Time
In response to a question about why old videos look blurry, Mosseri explained that Instagram initially tries to display videos in the highest quality possible. However, if a video doesn’t receive many views after a certain time, the platform reduces its quality to save storage and processing resources. “In general, we want to show the highest-quality video we can,” Mosseri said. But if a video isn’t frequently viewed — as most views typically happen shortly after posting — Instagram will switch to a lower quality version. If the video gains popularity again later, Instagram may “re-render the higher quality video,” allowing it to look clearer once more.
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Mosseri further noted that Instagram applies a dynamic approach, adjusting video quality based on the user’s internet connection as well. For users with slower connections, Instagram automatically serves a lower-quality version of a video to ensure quick loading times, helping users avoid lengthy buffering.
Favoring Higher-Engagement Creators
Instagram’s video quality adjustment system also appears to give priority to videos from more popular creators, a strategy that has raised concerns. Mosseri clarified that Instagram biases toward higher-quality processing for creators who drive more engagement, meaning the platform is more likely to devote its costly encoding resources to videos that are likely to attract large audiences. “We bias to higher quality…for creators who drive more views,” Mosseri admitted, emphasizing that Instagram optimizes based on aggregate engagement levels rather than individual viewer experience.
This approach has sparked concerns among smaller creators who feel they’re at a disadvantage. Critics argue that by reserving the best quality for already-popular creators, the platform may inadvertently stifle opportunities for growth for newer or smaller accounts. While Mosseri acknowledged these concerns, he countered that the slight quality dip doesn’t have a substantial impact on viewer engagement, suggesting that viewers are more interested in content than quality.
Meta’s Resource Management Challenge
Instagram’s strategy reflects the broader resource management approach of its parent company, Meta. In recent years, Meta has grappled with the exponential rise in video content across its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. In 2021, Meta revealed it was processing over four billion video streams daily on Facebook alone, leading the company to employ various “encoding configurations” to allocate computing power efficiently.
For Meta, the initial encoding of fresh uploads is fast but basic. If a video gains significant viewership, it undergoes further processing to improve quality. Only highly popular videos receive the most advanced and computationally intensive processing, ensuring that Meta’s resources are focused on content with the greatest engagement potential. This hierarchical processing approach mirrors practices seen on other video platforms like YouTube, where less popular videos may load at a lower quality or slower speed compared to trending content.
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While the platform’s scaling solution is efficient, some smaller creators remain unconvinced. They argue that since Instagram gives the best quality to popular accounts, they face a tougher climb to gain visibility and engagement. Despite Mosseri’s assertion that quality has a minor impact on user engagement, creators worry about the perceived disadvantage.