Instagram stories, Facebook stories, IGTV, Snapchat… we used to hate vertical format. If any video purist on social media saw a video recorded in a format tha wasn’t horizontal, they would ask the hardest form of punishments for the sinner, but that was years ago before Generation Z got into social media and made new rules for the new formats we use nowadays.

Right after Facebook, Youtube has the biggest number of monthly active users and staying behind is NOT an opition.  The vertical format video option has been a thing on Android for the past two years, now that it’s also available in iOS the change is official: YouTube will adjust to any aspect videos get recorded in.

Vertical Videos: an old acquaintance

Ever since Vine, vertical videos stopped being novelty. Six second of vertical content where enough for users to tell stories about basically any aspect of their daily life. We thought they were dead and gone, but they came back in the form of stories and snaps.

Since YouTube is the main video platform today, it was certainly odd they’d refuse to let go of the black bars at the sides. However, the pleas were heard and with the idea in mind that smartphones are designed to be used in vertical fashion and that for the most part browsing is done is smarphones and other mobile devices, it seemed pretty obvious where we had to go next.

Now no one can or should ignore the success of this video format in organic and payed posts. Everyday people ignore more and more static formats. Live content is what’s keeping audiences on the edge of their seats waiting for the next update.

Sources
www.socialmediatoday.com