Instagram is cutting video quality on less-watched posts in a move that critics say will favour influencers will large followings. — Niklas Graeber/dpa
NEW YORK: Instagram has sparked a backlash from users after it admitted it was reducing the picture quality on less-watched video posts, a move that critics argue could hamper users without large followings from increasing their reach.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri confirmed the measure in a (seemingly hi-res) video clip responding to a user question, saying that "if something isn't watched for a long time, because the vast majority of views are in the beginning, we will move to a lower quality video."
Mosseri later wrote that "we bias to higher quality (more CPU intensive encoding and more expensive storage for bigger files) for creators who drive more views."
Mosseri's clip and follow-up comments prompted criticism that the system favoured incumbents who had large follower counts - so-called influencers - and would make it harder for others to acquire more followers and ascend the Instagram hierarchy.
Commenters on Instagram's X rival Threads said the move would make it "harder for smaller creators to compete" and also criticised Instagram for hiding the move until asked about it.
Dealing a blow to would-be influencers seeking to boost their reach, Mosseri said video quality mattered more to the source or poster than to viewers, who he argued were more interested in the content of the clip than how clear or crisp it looks or how high the resolution.
In any case, the power of influencers to sway purchase decisions could be on the wane, going by recent findings published by Munich-based Statista, which reported that "consumers are becoming suspicious of influencer-led campaigns."
"Despite their huge fan bases, influencers – much like celebrities and politicians – are among the professions that people trust the least," Statista said, arguing that "growing skepticism" about influencers could influence commercial decision-making. – dpa
