As TikTok continues to experiment with longer videos, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the Meta-owned social network will continue to focus on short-form content.
Mosseri said in an Instagram Reels video that long-form content would take away from the platform's two main focuses: connecting people with friends and helping users explore their interests.
Mosseri noted that these two ideas are symbiotic, as people connect with friends who share common interests through short-form video — for example, if you come across a funny Reel video, you can send it to someone you think would enjoy it.
“We've found that long-form video doesn't mesh well with other work,” Mosseri said. “If you watch a 10- or 20-minute video, you're less likely to see your friends' content, you're less likely to interact with your friends, and you're less likely to actually send that content or that video to your friends. So we're not going to go after that business, because connecting people with their friends is part of our core identity, and we don't want to undermine that identity by going after long-form video. We understand that's not always the case with short-form video, but the potential is there.”
Mosseri's comments came a few weeks ago after TikTok began testing a feature that would allow users to upload 60-minute videos. The app initially launched with a 15-second limit on uploads, but TikTok has gradually increased its video limit over the past few years to compete with one of its biggest rivals, YouTube.
As part of its efforts to compete with YouTube, TikTok has added new features to make it easier to watch longer videos, such as a full-screen landscape mode and the ability to fast-forward by pressing and holding on the right side of a video. Additionally, TikTok began rewarding creators for longer videos last year, presumably in an attempt to encourage users to post longer content to the TikTok app rather than just YouTube.
Unlike TikTok, Instagram doesn't seem interested in challenging YouTube's dominance.
It's worth noting that Instagram has pursued long-form content in the past with its IGTV app. The platform, which launched in 2018, was designed for sharing longer videos. However, Instagram decided to shut it down as it shifted its focus to Reels in 2022. The company said at the time that Reels was an important part of Instagram and that it would continue to invest in the format.