Instagram, the popular social media platform, has recently confirmed that the quality of videos on its platform is influenced by their popularity. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, explained that videos with higher view counts are displayed in better quality, while those with fewer views may experience a reduction in quality over time.

In a recent “Ask Me Anything” session, Mosseri stated, “In general, we want to show the highest-quality video we can… But 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.” He further elaborated that if a video gains popularity again, Instagram will reprocess it to enhance its quality.

This approach is part of Instagram’s strategy to manage its vast content library efficiently. By allocating more resources to popular content, the platform aims to optimize storage and processing capabilities. Mosseri noted that this system operates on a “sliding scale,” favoring creators who generate more views.

While some users have expressed concerns that this practice may disadvantage smaller creators, Mosseri emphasized that the quality shift is minimal and that user engagement is more influenced by the content itself rather than its quality. He stated, “Quality seems to be much more important to the original creator, who is more likely to delete the video if it looks poor, than to their viewers.”