Instagram may be starting to change as we know it. Going from the platform of quick posts and instant gratification and branching out into long-form video content. At least, according to the Wall Street Journal. Yes, hour-long vertical videos. It’s a strange prospect, but as Engadget suggests, it’s not outside the bounds of reason. Facebook has been putting a big focus on video content recently, and as they own Instagram, it’s a natural potential progression. And it’s a lot more advertising revenue for Facebook (which they need, given the number of people ditching Facebook-owned platforms lately).
WSJ says that the company is focusing on vertical videos for the new long-form format, but that that may change before such a feature would launch.
Watching on a phone, though, isn’t so bad for vertical videos. But it does kind of limit your audience, I think. It almost forces you to only put your content on their platforms and only watch on a mobile device. YouTube certainly isn’t somewhere people are flooding to upload vertical videos, and if you’re watching on the desktop or your TV, you’re wasting a big chunk of your big expensive screen. For anybody looking to produce more polished shows with a high production value, it will be a big gamble to take. If you can’t really use the final edit on other platforms, platforms that really only utilise the more traditional horizontal format video, it could more than double your costs if you want to put it on YouTube, for example. So, it’s going to be interesting to see what kind of a reception it gets if it launches, given the typical disdain for vertical videos. I’m also curious how they expect people to edit and upload hour-long videos from their phones. [Wall Street Journal via Engadget]
