Rumours emerged that vaunted social media service and Facebook’s right hand Instagram is exploring a long-format video upload functionality in what would amount to a massive change for the platform and one that would put it squarely in the realm of Vimeo, YouTube, and Amazon.com streaming service Twitch.
When Instagram first introduced 15-second clips way back in 2013 users thought that was a big deal and the later extension to one minute in length was seen as a real concession to videographers on a service primarily dedicated to photography and whose primary success derived from that field.
But one minute isn’t very long and you can only do so much in that span of time.
Of course, those users that want to speak directly with their community can opt for the streaming video which allows indeterminate length but does not save what is transmitted.
In what can only be deemed the next logical step for Instagram, one of the few social media networks that does a great job at maintaining its relevance while not isolating its established base of users, the company is exploring longer format video in a bid to challenge Google’s dominant YouTube platform and even, to some extent, the company mothership, Facebook.
A report from The Wall Street Journal even goes so far as to say that Instagram is currently working with some of its bigger creators to generate long-format video content in what DPReview sees as a potential push by the company to have long-format video media available on day one.
If done well, Instagram’s move into long-format video could be huge for vloggers and videographers. While creators are already coming up with a ton of innovative stuff on other platforms, having the ability to create longer works for Instagram may help position the service as a go-to space for cutting-edge artists in digital media.
