Hmm… It’ll be interesting to see whether this catches on, but count me as skeptical for now. Via DesignTaxi:

‘Instafax’ which debuted on 16 January, condenses complex news stories into brief and easily understood summaries for readers on the go. It will also direct them to the full stories on the BBC’s website. 

Yes, I could watch news videos on Instagram, in the same way I could drive my car from the back seat—if I really cared enough to do so. But apps are much like channels, and I flip over to the Instagram feed to get a peek into the lives of my friends & people whose visual chops I enjoy. I don’t go there for pre-chewed nuggets about beheadings & car bombs—serious events which seem trivialized by the shrinking & juxtaposition.

I’m also reminded of Wibbitz, an automated tool that turns traditional text-based news stories into videos, ostensibly to make them more consumable on mobile. I dunno; I can’t remember browsing stories on my phone & thinking, “Man, if only these made noise, loaded slower, and burned more of my data plan…”