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Instagram isn’t going to focus on longform video because it might “undermine” the platform’s “core identity to connect people with friends,” Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says in a video. Yes, you can technically post Instagram videos to your feed that are as long as one hour, and yes, Instagram did try to push for longer videos with IGTV before shutting the app down! But now, shortform is where it’s at, Mosseri argues.
Mosseri says that Instagram’s two main jobs are to help you connect with friends and to help you explore interests “usually through shortform video.” He says that those two jobs are “symbiotic” because you might send a video that you like to a friend who might also like it.
On the other hand, longform videos (think videos that are longer than 10 minutes or feel more like TV shows) are “less symbiotic” with Instagram’s two jobs because they mean “you see less content from friends, you interact with your friends less, and you’re actually less likely to send that content or that video to a friend,” Mosseri says. Because of that, Instagram won’t go after the format. (TikTok, on the other hand, is investing more into longer videos.)
Here’s a full transcript of Mosseri’s remarks, which I’ve slightly edited for clarity:
A creator asked me recently: “are we going to do longform video on Instagram?” The answer is no and I wanted to explain why.
We do a number of different things on Instagram but at the heart of it there are really two jobs. One: connecting you with friends. Two: helping you explore your interests, usually through shortfrom video.
It turns out that those two things are symbiotic. 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.
It turns out longfrom video is less symbiotic with these other jobs. If you watch a 10- or 20-minute video, you see less content from friends, you interact with your friends less, and you’re actually less likely to send that content or that video to a friend. So we’re not going to go after that business because it’s part of our core identity to connect people with friends and we don’t want to undermine that by going after longform video.
We understand shortform video doesn’t always do that, but it can. We try and prioritize shortfrom video that does. So let me know down below the comments what you think. I’m sure there are going to be a lot of hot takes on this one. Peace.