Instagram

Instagram is a social media app owned by Facebook Inc., launched in October 2010, designed to share photos and videos through mobile devices. Users can create accounts and upload photos and videos, which will be displayed in their profile and shown to them in their “followers” news feed. Instagram uses a targeted friendship model, where users can choose which accounts to follow and accumulate their own followers, with no reciprocity requirement.

Instagram initially only allowed content to be framed in a 1:1 aspect ratio to match the display width of the iPhone at the time, but in 2015, this limit was relaxed to 1080 pixels. In addition, Instagram also introduced the “Stories” feature, which allows users to post photos and videos to a sequential feed, and each post can be accessed by others for 24 hours. As of January 2019, 500 million users use the “Stories” feature every day.

Instagram quickly became popular, with 1 million registered users in two months, 10 million in a year, and 1 billion users as of May 2019. Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for about $1 billion in cash and stock. Instagram is not only a photo-sharing platform, but also offers a story function, with 1.50 billion stories posted every day, and 6 billion videos posted.

Features of Instagram include filters, editing tools, tagging friends, and categorizing posts using hashtags, among others. It has become an important part of modern social media culture with an emphasis on visual content and creativity. Instagram’s client base is mainly focused on younger generations, especially millennials, who enjoy using Instagram for entertainment and branding.

Instagram’s value as an advertising marketing tool is also widely recognized. According to research, 60% of users learn about products or services through Instagram, and 75% are moved by creative posts and take action. In addition, Instagram’s Reels short video feature is one of the main drivers of its monthly active user growth.

Instagram is an image-centric social media platform with over 1 billion monthly active users and is an important channel for brand promotion and traffic. It has become one of the largest social media networks in the world by providing rich visual content and interactive features.