The impact of a video’s popularity on Instagram can influence its quality: Adam Mosseri, the Meta executive in charge of Instagram and Threads, stated that more popular videos are displayed in higher quality, while less popular ones are shown in lower quality.
In a video (via The Verge), Mosseri mentioned that Instagram aims to display “the highest-quality video that we can,” but acknowledged that for videos not watched often, they may transition to lower quality playback.
This concept isn’t new; Meta previously discussed using different encoding setups based on a video’s popularity. Following the sharing of Mosseri’s video on Threads, users raised questions and criticisms, with some deeming the approach “truly insane.”
In response, Mosseri provided more insight, clarifying that quality decisions are made at an aggregate level, not individually. He explained that higher quality encoding is favored for creators with more views, emphasizing that it’s not a binary decision but rather a flexible scale.
Critics noted that this approach could create a system favoring popular creators, as they can post in higher quality, potentially reinforcing their popularity. Mosseri acknowledged this concern but stated that video content is more influential than quality when it comes to viewer engagement.
Mosseri addressed the concern, stating that video content matters more than quality for viewer interaction, emphasizing that quality is more significant to the original creator.
