This story was making the rounds yesterday, that it’s confirmed that Instagram automates higher video quality for Reels and Stories content that engages more (Source: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-downgrades-video-quality-less-viewed-clips/731152/). 

From my POV, this quote from the story sums it up for me: 

Which makes sense, in terms of maximizing resources to deliver the best user experience to the majority of users (i.e. if something is being viewed by more people, it should be presented in the best quality). But still, that also means that less viewed content loses out, as the reduction in playback quality will likely inhibit engagement, and compound that initial lack of views even further over time.

I’m not a fan of the approach, and it will alienate smaller creators, agencies, marketers. but I can see how it saves money over the long run for a bandwidth-heavy platform. I might want to rethink my Insta strategy in some cases. Does their admission surprise you, concern you, or change the way you might approach Instagram as a platform?