Many Instagram users often notice a disparity in the quality of their videos, with some appearing blurry and others crisp. The platform’s head, Adam Mosseri, explained during a video AMA session that the quality of videos on Instagram is influenced by the number of views they receive. Mosseri’s comments, which were shared by a user on Threads, detailed the platform’s strategy for managing video quality.

According to Mosseri, Instagram aims to present the highest-quality videos possible. However, if a video does not accumulate many views initially, the platform opts to display a lower-quality version. Should the video gain popularity later, Instagram will re-render it in higher quality. This approach is part of Instagram’s goal to provide users with top-quality content, focusing more resources on creators who attract more views.

Addressing concerns from Threads users about the potential disadvantage to smaller creators due to this approach, Mosseri clarified that while the change in quality might not be significant, the main factor influencing video engagement is content rather than quality.

This explanation aligns with Meta’s previously stated strategies. In 2021, Meta recognized that it might struggle to manage the volume of videos being uploaded to its platforms. Meta has since designed a system where new uploads receive basic encoding initially. As a video’s watch time increases, it undergoes more sophisticated encoding processes, with the most resource-intensive and advanced processing reserved for the most popular videos. Consequently, this means that the creators with the most-watched content generally have videos of the highest visual quality.

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