While TikTok pursues YouTube, Instagram promises to focus on short-form content

While TikTok continues to test the long-form video waters, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said the Meta-owned social network will continue to focus on short-form video content.

Mosseri told Instagram Reel that long-form content will shift the platform away from its two main areas of focus, which are connecting people with friends and helping users explore their interests. The two ideas are symbiotic, Mosseri says, as people use short videos to connect with friends over shared interests. For example, when you see a reel that makes you laugh, you can send it to others who you think will enjoy it. "It turns out that feature film is less symbiotic with other works," Mosseri said. "If you're watching 10 or 20 minutes of video, you're going to see less content from your friends, you're going to interact with your friends less, and you're actually less likely to send the content or video to your friends. That's why we don't want to continue this business because connecting people with friends is part of our core identity and we don't want to undermine that by following long videos. We understand that short-form videos don't always do that, but they can."

Mosseri's comments come as TikTok began testing the ability for users to upload 60-minute videos a few weeks ago. Although the app initially launched with a 15-second time limit on uploads, TikTok has slowly increased its video limit over the past few years to beat one of its biggest competitors: YouTube.

In an effort to take on YouTube, TikTok has added new features to make watching longer videos easier, such as horizontal full-screen mode and the ability to fast-forward videos by pressing and holding the right side of the video. Additionally, last year TikTok began rewarding creators for longer videos, perhaps in an effort to get users to post longer content on its app rather than just YouTube.

Unlike TikTok, Instagram doesn't seem to have any plans to challenge YouTube's dominance. It is worth noting that Instagram continued with long -term content with its IgTV app. The platform launched in 2018 was designed to share longer videos. However, Instagram decided to close it in 2022 as it focused on the roll. The company said that at a time when the roller is an important part of Instagram, it would continue to invest in this format.