The social media revolution continues to gain momentum, and this time we're seeing a new stage in Instagram's evolution.
As the case study published by researcher Alessandra Paluzzi shows, Instagram is testing longer Reels videos, with lengths of up to 3 and 10 minutes. This will be an important update for the platform, reflecting the growing trend of longer video content similar to TikTok. While TikTok already offered the option to upload 10-minute videos, though now some users no longer see this option.
Many believe that this is a return to the past when Instagram had an "IGTV" feature, which it abandoned early last year. Now, they are bringing the feature back in a new format under the Reels brand, offering more integrated and optimized video content for easy viewing instead of forcing users to navigate to other sections.
This move shouldn't surprise us, however, as it's typical for social platforms. Short videos were the first formats available in the online sphere. Then, they gradually became longer, approaching live broadcasts and TV programs. Then came the time of short videos with the emergence of Vine, Stories and finally TikTok. Now the return of long- or medium-length videos is inevitable. However, the question remains whether users are really interested in watching longer content, as short videos have become an integral part of the experience on Instagram and Facebook.
While Instagram confirms that it is conducting internal tests of 10-minute videos, external tests are still pending. Many are eager to see if this will be a game changer or just another tool with limited user interest.
We can rest assured that longer video options will continue to evolve until we get to the next trend of shorter videos.