Together with
Instagram has said that it will start to downgrade the quality of videos on the platform that aren’t generating enough views as a cost-saving measure.
Why It Hits: As Meta transforms into an AI company, the costs associated with all things data — chips, computation, storage — are skyrocketing. So, Meta hopes lowering the quality of video on Instagram will free up space and money for where it now counts.
Between The Code: On Instagram, having your video in HD is now a privilege, not a right.
- Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared on Threads that videos will now be on a sliding scale of quality depending on how many views they bring in (the exact number is a mystery).
- If videos don’t meet the views threshold — which is now the most important metric on the platform — then the videos will start to appear fuzzy.
- Additionally, older videos will now be automatically downgraded. But if they start to pick up views again, their full quality will be restored… for as long as they’re getting the increased viewership, at least.
Closing Thoughts: In case you haven’t heard, AI systems take up an insane amount of server space. As more people use its AI systems, Meta wants to prevent system-overload by keeping every video — many billions of them — at crisp HD. Unsurprisingly, creators are up in arms about this plan, especially newer ones. They feel that having their videos at a lower quality will kneecap their growth. Who wants to watch fuzzy videos? Well, creators who are able to make that downgrade a feature instead of a bug of their content may be the ones who game the system and still manage to go viral.
TOGETHER WITH CANVA
No design skills needed! 🪄✨
Canva Pro is the design software that makes design simple, convenient, and reliable. Create what you need in no time! Jam-packed with time-saving tools that make anyone look like a professional designer.