While Mosseri acknowledged concerns about the impact on smaller creators, he maintained that viewer interaction is more influenced by content quality than video quality.

However, if a video gains traction and attracts more views after its initial release, higher quality is restored.

This policy has sparked frustration among creators, particularly smaller ones, who argue it creates an uneven playing field and disadvantages those without a large following.

This system could perpetuate a cycle where established creators benefit from higher engagement, making it increasingly difficult for new creators to gain visibility.

The quality adjustment process relies on aggregate view data, favoring creators with higher view counts and potentially sidelining less popular content.

During a recent AMA, Instagram head Adam Mosseri explained that video quality can diminish over time if the content is not frequently viewed.

Critics contend that adjusting video quality based on performance metrics undermines the creative process and may deter new creators from joining.

Instagram has implemented a policy that lowers the quality of older, less popular videos, prioritizing higher quality for content that garners more views.

Many users feel that this approach prioritizes performance metrics over artistic expression, fostering a sense of elitism on the platform.

Creators have voiced concerns that this policy may negatively affect the visibility and reach of their videos, particularly for those who invest in high-quality production.

Meta's strategy aims to optimize computing resources by prioritizing the encoding of videos that attract more engagement, which could further entrench existing disparities among creators.

The backlash against this policy reflects a growing dissatisfaction among users who feel that their investment in high-quality equipment is being undermined by Instagram's quality control measures.