Instagram says all new video posts under 15 minutes will now be shared as Reels and videos under 90 seconds from public accounts will be recommended to others

And it's combining the Reels / Video section of your profile under one tab — Welcome to the new era of Instagram …

The Verge 2022-07-22 Richard Lawler

Context & Ripple Effects

Instagram had already folded IGTV and feed video into a single Video format while leaving Reels separate; its earlier test of converting video posts into Reels signaled a further simplification. The new policy makes Reels the default container for new video and unifies the profile destinations.

The 90-second recommendation rule makes short public video a discovery product, not merely a follower-facing post. That distinction underpins Instagram’s later extension of Reels to three minutes and reported work on improving Reels recommendations.

First-order effects

Public-account creators posting videos under 90 seconds gain eligibility for recommendation beyond their existing audiences, while all new videos under 15 minutes must use the Reels publishing format.
Instagram removes the separate Reels and Video profile sections, giving creators and viewers one video destination on profiles.

Second-order effects

Creators have a direct incentive to keep public discovery-oriented videos within 90 seconds, while longer videos remain Reels without the stated recommendation eligibility.
Instagram concentrates video engagement and its existing Reels advertising format in one product surface, rather than splitting attention across Video and Reels.

Third-order effects

If Instagram continues expanding Reels’ length and recommendation tools, video publishing on the service shifts from format-specific destinations toward a single algorithmically distributed feed.
The structural contest becomes control of recommendation distribution: creators’ reach increasingly depends on a platform’s Reels ranking system rather than on follower relationships alone.

The trend: Instagram is consolidating video into Reels while making recommendation eligibility the central mechanism for distributing short-form creator posts.

Discussion

@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
What the fuck is going on over at Instagram? A systematic attempt to alienate any and all users who originally loved the service? Look, we get the TikTok thirst. But my god, there's going to be no soul left in that service. Just some confusing pile of carbon copied features.
@whatleydude @whatleydude on x
This is what a panic button looks like. https://twitter.com/...
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
Thanks, I also hate it. https://twitter.com/...
@lindseygamble_ Lindsey Gamble on x
Even BeReal isn't safe from Meta copying. Instagram gets a new ‘Dual’ camera for Reels. https://twitter.com/...
@couragejd @couragejd on x
I truly can't believe how bad Instagram is now. The photo platform I once loved is ruined.
@urbanbohemian Brian Gray on x
I hate this, and it's only going to continue and get worse as every social media platform tries to be THE platform, just taking ideas and “features” from all the others and incorporating them in the worst* ways. * worst because you expect this on TikTok, not on Instagram. Ugh. ht…
@ianrunkle @ianrunkle on x
Literally the only reason I use Facebook is to see the posts from my friends and family. This is like a restaurant deciding that they're going to remove all the food so that they can really show you the toilets. https://twitter.com/...
@alextweeting Alex Washburn on x
So many photography professionals are raging about these changes. @instagram The way some users may weaponize or manipulate the content of others is mind numbing to consider: https://www.theverge.com/...
@ddudgeon Devon West on x
⚠️BeReels⚠ ️ because why not take advantage of dual cameras @CaseyNewton called this one. Push notifications coming up next? https://twitter.com/...
@reeves501 Emily Reeves Dean on x
Just as BeReal starts gaining traction (aka increased news coverage), Instagram announces dual cameras in Reels. Makes sense.
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
Thanks, I hate it. https://twitter.com/...
@liangpupu @liangpupu on x
Instagram video posts shorter than 15 minutes will now be shared as Reels https://techcrunch.com/...
@openpackaginnet @openpackaginnet on x
Instagram video posts shorter than 15 minutes will now be shared as Reels: Instagram announced today that new video posts that are shorter than 15 minutes will now be shared as Reels. Videos posted prior to this change will remain as videos and won't... https://techcrunch.com/...…
@metanewsroom @metanewsroom on x
Mark Zuckerberg just announced a Feeds tab on @facebook, where you can see a chronological feed of posts from those you follow. And when you open Facebook, you'll still see a Home tab where we'll recommend personalized content from creators and friends. https://www.facebook.com/.…
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
New + big change from Facebook: it's going to start putting more recommended content into the main feed from people you don't follow. Just like TikTok. https://www.bloomberg.com/... w @alexbarinka
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
I am old enough to remember when this was called “Facebook' https://twitter.com/...
@richlightshed @richlightshed on x
huge platform searching for a future $meta https://twitter.com/...
@brendannyhan Brendan Nyhan on x
Important: misinformation in the viral videos Meta will now be blasting into your feed is much harder for platforms to detect and for researchers to monitor https://twitter.com/...
@jeeveswilliams @jeeveswilliams on x
with facebook announcing they're swinging way more towards creator content/tiktok-style videos on the news feed and shunting family/friend posts, there're basically no social networks focused on engaging with the people you're closest to, right? it's all group chats now, wild
@brandonsilverm Brandon Silverman on x
@BrendanNyhan It's too politically hard (trying to be neutral means incenting everyone to constantly complain), it's too technically hard (the systems & content move too quickly) and ultimately, the financial upside just isn't that big.
@brendannyhan Brendan Nyhan on x
Reverse-chronological feeds are bad experiences (as Facebook's own data shows) plus the TikTok feed will be the default - both will push people to the glories of stupid viral videos that up time on platform https://twitter.com/...
@brandonsilverm Brandon Silverman on x
@BrendanNyhan I think the more immediate & significant impact is in places (including lot of developing world) where FB operates as quasi-internet. When it becomes more of an entertainment platform, it will mean returning a lot of control of the information ecosystems to legacy g…
@brandonetc Brandon Carter on x
FB has tanked news link performance, crushed the ability of news Pages to reach big audiences and sidelined news Groups. now, the feed is becoming a commerce and video hub. it would probably behoove all of us to figure out if this is a platform worth investing in anymore.
@noupside Renee DiResta on x
I wonder if this curated version is an attempt to better integrate Watch and that sort of viral video content - most of which, from what I've seen, is content-farm garbage (hello Rick Lax) but not really political. FB seems to really be struggling to attract good creators. https:…
@brandonsilverm Brandon Silverman on x
@BrendanNyhan I wouldn't underestimate the degree to which one of lessons that the social media industry is taking from the last few years is that intentionally trying to attract & amplify political discourse just isn't worth it.
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
You cannot be creative if you are not creative: Facebook forsakes friends and family to compete with TikTok https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@brandonetc Brandon Carter on x
time and time again we've adjusted our strategies, our content, even our revenue flow (remember getting paid to do Live videos?) to meet FB's whims, only to have the rug pulled out on us months or years later. this latest change seems like the death knell for news on the platform
@fortunemagazine @fortunemagazine on x
Facebook is changing the way it shows users posts and videos as a part of an effort to better compete with the video app TikTok. https://fortune.com/...
@filip_struharik @filip_struharik on x
Translation: - Newsfeed will be more like TikTok with popular content, you can pointlessly kill time here - New “Feeds” tab will be good old Facebook - Traffic to journalistic content may drop again https://twitter.com/...
@brendannyhan Brendan Nyhan on x
The TikTok-ization of Meta will soon be upon us. Facebook has spent 5+ years since 2016 playing catchup in the battle against misinfo. Now they're unleashing content algorithmically across the world's largest social network regardless of who you follow. What could go wrong? https…
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
facebook's subtle (and not so subtle) nudges towards a more TikTok-y future continue next stop — the “Home” tab, which will soon be filled with more video and reels from suggested, unconnected people and pages https://t.co/Tuy9YxlnSx
@pierce David Pierce on x
Facebook is TikTok now which is Instagram now which is Facebook now which is TikTok now which is Instagram now which is Facebook now which is TikTok now https://www.theverge.com/...
@abuaardvark Marc Lynch on x
When I want recommended content from creators I'll.... I'll never want recommended content from creators. https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
Every social app is trending to have an algorithmic & chronological feed side by side. I wonder what the people who claim chronological feeds are the social for every problem on social media are going to blame next? Hint: People are the problem not feeds. https://www.theverge.com…
@aria_gerson Aria Gerson on x
does facebook realize that the reason 90% of young people even still have an account anymore is for messenger and groups https://twitter.com/...
@alexhern Alex Hern on x
Facebook, having copied all it can from Snapchat and TikTok, is now copying features from... 2008-era Facebook. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
@fboversight @fboversight on x
New: Facebook announces it's turning Facebook into a TikTok copycat because user growth is down and this is the best idea they can come up with. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@baekdal Thomas Baekdal on x
We have reached a point where we can't call these things social ‘networks’ anymore. They have become low-intent entertainment channels, but there is really no ‘networking’ anymore. https://twitter.com/...
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
This point is spot on. AKA Facebook is in chaos. CEO and COO ordered for depositions in CA federal court for its largest data breach coverup plus insider trading in DE, lost more than half of market cap based on $10B guesstimate of revenue impact from privacy crackdowns. Chaos.
@dandrezner Daniel W. Drezner on x
Note to self: switch to separate chronological feed. https://twitter.com/...
@jayrosen_nyu Jay Rosen on x
Interesting! Manipulation is the main feed, where algorithms are in charge. Communication is the alternate. There humans roam. https://twitter.com/...
@sarafischer Sara Fischer on x
💡By teasing most content from friends out of main feed, FB's experience will look/feel more like a content discovery engine than a social network —That shift will help it lean more into intent-based shopping & search advertising, which is less vulnerable to privacy regulation htt…
@teepusahab Anas Tipu on x
Meta announced major changes - Facebook app that will transform its experience into a more TikTok-like selection of algorithmically chosen videos — and shunt off content posted by family, friends and groups into a separate side feed. https://www.axios.com/...
@domdifurio Dom DiFurio on x
“Beginning Thursday, Facebook's main Home screen will begin to look and feel a lot more like TikTok.” https://www.axios.com/...
@kerrymflynn Kerry Flynn on x
Excited for my Facebook feed to look exactly like my Instagram feed and my TikTok feed aka puppy videos... only puppy videos https://www.axios.com/...
@sarafischer Sara Fischer on x
NEW on @axios: Significant changes coming to @facebook app to transform its main feed into a more TikTok-like selection of algorithmically chosen content — and shunt off posts posted by family, friends and groups into a separate chronological feed: https://www.axios.com/...
@jaredlholt Jared Holt on x
I've long felt a reason social media lost its novel appeal and sense of wonder has to do with platforms all gunning to be *the* platform by essentially mirroring each other. The experience is homogenous enough anymore that everything feels stale, imo! https://www.axios.com/...

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