All You Need To Know About Instagram

There isn’t a day that goes by when we don’t use social media. Whether it’s to contact friends or follow the latest trends, the internet has become an integral part of life. Instagram is no stranger to this and has grown to become one of the largest platforms.

Our blog this week at Get Your Mobi focuses on Instagram and what you need to know about its rise to fame.

From Humble Beginnings to Everybody’s Phones

Back in October 2010 Instagram was brought to life by founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Originally an exclusive for iOS, it was eventually launched for Android in April 2012 and again for Windows phones in 2016. The name comes from a combination of instant camera and telegram, bringing together images, videos and communication.

In just two months more than 1 million people were using Instagram. By 2012 Facebook had decided to buy the free platform and today more than 1 billion people access it.

Already by June 2011 over 100 million pictures had been uploaded online. Today users have the ability to add filters, share short video clips, create hashtags, add to their ‘Stories’, and link to online shops.

How Much is it Worth?

With all this success, it’s easy to see how valuable the social media platform is. In 2012 Facebook paid a huge $1 billion for ownership and have kept it ever since. Revenue from Instagram has seen rises year on year, providing a great return on investment for the social media giant.

In 2015 it is estimated that at least $595 million in revenue was earned from Ads. By 2017 this was at $4 billion and in 2019 it’s thought to reach $10.87 billion.

To add to all this, last year Bloomberg Intelligence estimated that it was worth at least $100 billion. Facebook’s original offer seems like peanuts in comparison to today’s value.

Users and Their Activity

There are more than 1 billion active users on Instagram and that’s only going to keep growing. So, how exactly are people using the platform? According to the latest stats the 10 top countries where users are from are:

• United States (110 million)
• Brazil (66 million)
• India (64 million)
• Indonesia (59 million)
• Russia (40 million)
• Turkey (37 million)
• Japan (26 million)
• UK (23 million)
• Mexico (22 million)
• Germany (19 million)

Of the active users, around 60% log in to Instagram each day. Three out of four users are between the ages of 18 and 24, with men in this bracket making up the largest demographic group.

But how do these people make use of the app? As well as posting photos, more and more videos are being shared. Sharing snaps of food is a favourite, with pizza being the most popular choice followed by sushi and chicken. There are over 3.5 billion likes every day, which shows how people interact with each other.

Popular Accounts and Posts

As of 2019, the most followed person on Instagram is none other than Instagram themselves! They have 309 million people watching their posts each day. Others in the Top 5 include Cristiano Ronaldo (179 million), Ariana Grande (161 million), Selena Gomez (154 million), and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (153 million).

Kylie Jenner rules over Instagram and has 7 of her own posts in the 20 most liked of all time. However, her famous gram of her daughter Stormi was beaten by a picture of an egg. At this point, the solo egg has 53.7 million likes and counting.

What Does the Future Hold?

In years to come we can only expect Instagram to continue to grow. There will of course be changes to the algorithm and new features added, like the removal of likes. But it will be interesting to see how the platform will develop.

To find out more about how Instagram could help your business, please feel free to get in contact with us.