Instagram Video will now be the tab where users can view all videos on the social media platform.
Instagram is combining its long-form video platform IGTV and feed videos into one format into what the company is calling Instagram Video. These videos will be accessible through a new Video tab on people’s profiles. Each video can run up to 60 seconds long, a length that was only previously reserved for IGTV videos, unless the video is eligible for ads, in which case, Instagram said the preview will remain at 15 seconds. « We love that our creator community has embraced video as a key format to tell their stories, entertain, and connect with their audiences, and that’s why we want to make it even simpler to create and discover videos on Instagram, » the Facebook-owned company said in a blog post. Through the new Video tab, users will be able to tap anywhere on the video to enter full-screen viewing mode. They can also choose to keep scrolling to discover more video creators or tap the back button to exit. Alongside the format shift, Instagram announced it is also introducing news features such as trimming, filters, and people and location tagging to videos. The company added it is also merging feed post insights and video insights into a combined metric for businesses and creators. Instagram introduced IGTV in June 2018 and made the platform a more direct competitor with other digital media giants like YouTube. It also gave Facebook a fresh channel for advertisers. The refresh by the social media giant lands on the same day Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen fronted the US Senate as part of its inquiry into Facebook’s operations, declaring the company as « morally bankrupt » and casting « the choices being made inside of Facebook » as « disastrous for our children, our privacy, and our democracy ».
