Instagram Video Ads Go Live Because Everything Good Must Come To An End

Instagram has at long last debuted video advertisements after rigorous testing and hands-on work with brands. And because they are advertisements, none of that rigorous work really matters because we simply hate advertisements.

With video ads, the potential for high levels of suckage is high, as brands have a total of 15 seconds to capture you, as opposed to the half-second glance they get with a photo. The same is true for regular users, which is why I never thought video was a good idea for Instagram.

But, as it often goes with incumbents, Facebook-owned Instagram seemed to become more reactive, launching video after Twitter-owned Vine made waves in the space.

Today, Instagram continues to work on the video side of its product, with the launch of a standalone app called Hyperlapse, that speeds up and stabilizes your mobile video.

Whether or not you agree with me about video on Instagram, it’s hard to disagree with me when I say that social networks are often marred by advertisements.

It’s not necessarily the ads themselves that are the problem. In fact, Facebook worked them in so well that for a long time I never noticed the change. Obviously, advertisements pay for the services we enjoy (for now) and are tolerable enough for users of platforms like Twitter and Facebook and Instagram (and now Snapchat) to bear.

But ads are a simple reminder that the social connections and interactions you’re having are actually the main source of income for a global corporation. For some reason, it just feels a bit less special.

And Instagram was special to me. And so I mourn the launch of Instagram video advertisements, because it feels like the end of an era. But… all good things come to an end.

If you want to check out Instagram’s first video ads, I’ve included them below or you can read AdWeek’s full piece on the launch.