Instagram to prioritise short-form content to connect users with friends

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said that the platform will prioritise short-form content over long-form videos as connecting people with friends is part of the core identity of the platform

Meta-owned social media platform Instagram will focus on short-form content over long videos, according to Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram. Instagram will not be focusing on long-form video as it might “undermine” the platform’s “core identity to connect people with friends.” 

Adam Mosseri, who handles Instagram and Meta’s text based social media app threads, in a video posted on Instagram, answered the question if Instagram would focus more on long-form video anytime soon. His answer was no, and he explained the reason. He said that two main jobs of Instagram are to help users connect with friends and to help explore interests through short form video. He also said that those two jobs are “symbiotic” because you might send a video that you like to a friend who might also like it. 

"You see an amazing video that makes you laugh out loud from a comedian doing a bit, and you send it to someone who you know is going to laugh just as loud as you did. Or for me, I see a highlight of an amazing soccer goal or trick, and I send it to someone who I know loves soccer as much as I do. So these things are about connecting with friends over your interests." he said.

According to Adam Mosseri, long-form videos are “less symbiotic”, and as a result, Instagram will not be going after that format. He added that focus on short-form content aligns with Instagram's “core identity” of connecting users with friends. 

As of now, Instagram allows users to post videos of up to one hour duration. Instagram tried to promote long-form content with IGTV which launched in 2018. It allowed users to post an hour-long video on the platform for the first time. IGTV was shut down in 2022 as a result of Instagram shifting focus to Reels. Meanwhile, video-hosting service TikTok is investing in long-form content by testing hour-long videos.