Instagram recently rolled out a controversial policy tying video quality to engagement levels. Let’s take a look at the policy.

Instagram’s new video policy

According to Instagram’s Head, Adam Mosseri, videos with high views receive premium quality rendering, while less popular videos face downgrades. “We bias to higher quality encoding for creators who drive more views,” Mosseri explained, mentioning that this approach is on a “sliding scale,” meaning there’s no exact view threshold for creators to track.

If a video hasn’t gained enough attention, it may appear in a lower resolution. Mosseri added that videos may be re-rendered at higher quality if their view counts increase.

Reason for the change

The move, Mosseri says, aims to manage data storage costs as parent company Meta invests heavily in data processing and storage. “The goal is to show people the highest quality content that we can,” he shared.

This measure aligns with Instagram’s recent shift to a single-view metric across posts, making view counts a significant factor for creators aiming to present their best content.

Mixed reactions from creators

The policy has sparked concerns among smaller creators who worry about their content’s visibility. One user voiced frustration, saying, “Spending time creating high-quality content just for it to be downgraded to low resolution sucks.”

Social media consultant Matt Navarra noted the policy might discourage new creators, saying, “How can creators gain traction if their content is penalized for not being popular?”

Instagram insists that while video quality may affect engagement, compelling content remains the most crucial factor for interaction. Mosseri noted that the platform tries to prioritize substance over appearance, but creators argue that quality influences how their content is perceived.

Instagram’s changes follow recent efforts to boost creator engagement, such as AI Studio and interactive features on posts. However, for creators struggling to gain traction, the platform’s new approach may feel like a setback.