This strategy marks a potential paradigm shift for the social network, traditionally oriented towards short and immediate content.
Instagram is planning a significant evolution of its platform, looking beyond the traditional Reels and opening the door to longer-form video content.
This strategy marks a potential paradigm shift for the social network, traditionally oriented towards short and immediate contents, and positions it as a possible direct antagonist of YouTube in the online video market.
The evolution of video content on Instagram
Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, recently confirmed that the company is seriously considering the introduction of long videos within the platform. This move represents an important step towards expanding the offering, with the aim of attracting a more diverse audience and offering creators new tools to express themselves. The decision is motivated by the growing competition with YouTube, which has long consolidated its leadership with long-form content and more structured formats.
Instagram continues to focus on Reels as its central formatbut Mosseri stresses that the platform does not rule out a future in which longer videos become a key component. This change could revolutionize the user experience, moving from a rapid and fragmented use to a more immersive and in-depth one. It is a delicate challenge, since Instagram’s identity has always been linked to the simplicity and immediacy of contents.
In addition to expanding video formats, Instagram is working to offer giving users greater control over the feed and algorithm which decides which content to show. This innovation will allow members to personalize their experience, choosing which topics to delve into and modulating the frequency with which they are proposed. The intent is to transform Instagram into a more flexible and adaptable environment to individual needs, capable of satisfying different tastes and objectives.
This direction is part of a larger project of transforming Instagram of sorts super-appinspired by Asian models like WeChat or TikTok, which integrate social, e-commerce and entertainment into a single platform. However, Mosseri warns that adopting such models in the West may encounter cultural and usage challenges, given that European and American audiences have different habits and expectations than Asian audiences.
Looking at the medium term, Mosseri hypothesizes that the innovations relating to long videos and feed control could materialize within the next two or four years. In the long term, however, the CEO imagines an even more radical transformation, with Instagram which could become usable through smart glasses or other new generation devices, gradually abandoning the exclusive use of smartphones.
This vision indicates a desire to innovate not only from the point of view of content, but also of technology and social interaction, anticipating a future in which the boundaries between social networks, entertainment and technology will be increasingly blurred. Instagram does not intend to limit itself to chasing competitors, but aims to independently define new trends in the digital sector.
