Instagram focuses on short-form content instead of long-form videos

Instagram — Meta Platforms’ photo- and video-sharing social media app — will focus on short-form content instead of long-form videos, the company’s chief executive officer Adam Mosseri said. It’s part of the company’s “core identity” to connect people with friends while also helping them explore their interests. While long-form videos can still be uploaded to the platform, Mosseri said the focus will remain on prioritizing short-form videos.

Short summary on Instagram

In response to a user’s question about whether Instagram would be making longer videos, Mosseri said Posted a short video clip on the platform saying “no”, followed by an explanation from the company behind this strategy.

According to Mosseri, Instagram has two missions: helping users connect with their friends and allowing them to explore their interests. These goals are “symbiotic.” The platform manager gave several examples, revealing that when a user comes across a short video, such as Instagram Reels, that interests him, he often shares it with his friends who have the same interests.

This connects them to others while also keeping tabs on the content others are sharing. But when it comes to long videos, the relationship becomes less symbiotic. “If you’re watching a 10- or 20-minute video, you’re going to see less content from your friends, you’re going to have less interaction with your friends, and you’re less likely to send that content or video to a friend,” Mosseri said.

Instagram will therefore not focus on the long-form video business, as this would “undermine” the company’s core identity, according to Mosseri.

Notably, Instagram previously had a standalone long-form video called IGTV that launched in 2018. It allowed users to upload videos of up to an hour long to the platform, something that was not possible on Instagram at the time. However, it was shut down in 2022 as the company shifted its focus to supporting Instagram Reels.