Regramming the same image 90 times

The above Gif is what happens when you regram the same photo (via screenshots) 90 times on Instagram. Artist Pete Ashton posted an Instagram, screenshot it, regrammed the image as a screenshot and repeated this process 90 times. You can read more about it in detail in his blog post here.

All the processes of file conversion and compression degrade the image quality ever so slightly each time an image is screenshot and regrammed. Instagram also has to compress and convert your image so that it can efficiently distribute your Instagram worldwide, to all phone types and screen sizes (thanks Android).

These server side decisions highlight how Instagram has had to make some hard but necessary choices which ultimately degrade image quality to ensure a better quality of service. Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger actually mention this process in their Re/code interview which you can watch here.