Signature wordmark used since May 2016 and icon app used since May 2022 | |
| Original author(s) |
|
| Developer(s) | Meta Platforms |
| Initial release | October 6, 2010[1] |
| Operating system |
|
| Available in | 33[2] languages |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | instagram.com |
| This article is part of a series about |
| Meta Platforms |
|---|
| Products and services |
| People |
| Business |
Instagram[a] is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags, and be associated with a location via geographical tagging. Posts can be shared publicly or with preapproved followers. Users can browse other users' content by tags and locations, view trending content, like photos, and follow other users to add their content to a personal feed.[8] A Meta-operated image-centric social media platform, it is available on iOS, Android, Windows 10, and the web. Users can take photos and edit them using built-in filters and other tools, then share them on other social media platforms like Facebook. It supports 33 languages including English, Hindi, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Korean.[9]
Instagram was originally distinguished by allowing content to be framed only in a square (1:1) aspect ratio of 640 pixels to match the display width of the iPhone at the time. In 2015, this restriction was eased with an increase to 1080 pixels. It also added messaging features, the ability to include multiple images or videos in a single post, and a Stories feature—similar to its main competitor, Snapchat, which allowed users to post their content to a sequential feed, with each post accessible to others for 24 hours. As of January 2019, Stories was used by 500 million people daily.[8]
Instagram was launched for iOS in October 2010 by Kevin Systrom and the Brazilian software engineer Mike Krieger. It rapidly gained popularity, reaching 1 million registered users in two months, 10 million in a year, and 1 billion in June 2018. In April 2012, Facebook acquired the service for approximately US$1 billion in cash and stock. The Android version of Instagram was released in April 2012, followed by a feature-limited desktop interface in November 2012, a Fire OS app in June 2014, an app for Windows 10 in October 2016, and an app for iPadOS in September 2025. Although often admired for its success and influence, Instagram has also been criticized for negatively affecting teens' mental health, its policy and interface changes, its alleged censorship, and illegal and inappropriate content uploaded by users.
- ^ "Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Instagram". App Store. June 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ "List of subsidiaries Meta Platforms, Inc". sec.gov. United States Securities and Exchange Commission. December 31, 2024. Archived from the original on June 12, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ Protalinski, Emil (April 23, 2012). "Facebook buying Instagram for $300 million, 23 million shares". ZDNet. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- ^ Curry, Melanie (June 15, 2025). "Gwyneth Paltrow Made Breakfast Topless On Insta & Everyone Has Feelings". www.aol.com. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ "Instagram holiday debt: 'I spent £5,000 for the gram'". BBC. August 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ Edwards, Erica B.; Esposito, Jennifer (2019). "Reading social media intersectionally". Intersectional Analysis as a Method to Analyze Popular Culture: Clarity in the Matrix. Futures of Data Analysis in Qualitative Research. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-55700-2. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
Instagram (IG) is a photo sharing app created in October of 2010 allowing users to share photos and videos.
- ^ a b "Instagram Stories is Now Being Used by 500 Million People Daily". Social Media Today. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).