(
INSTAnt camera tele
GRAM) A very popular photo and video social networking service for mobile devices founded in 2010. Initially for iOS, Android and website versions were added in 2012.
Pictures taken with the Instagram app can be sent to Facebook, X/Twitter, Tumblr, foursquare or Flickr, as well as to the user's account on the Instagram website. In 2012, Instagram became famous overnight when Facebook announced its acquisition of the year-and-a-half old company for $1 billion.
Stories and Live Video
In 2016, Stories was added that lets users post photos and short videos that last for 24 hours. A slide show can be created by adding images and videos. Also in 2016, Live Video lets Instagram users share videos in real time. See
Boomerang and
Hyperlapse.
Reels
Introduced in 2020, Instagram Reels are videos that last 90 seconds (originally only 60 seconds), whereas Stories are no more than 15 seconds. In addition, Reels are permanent, while Stories stay online for only 24 hours.
Threads
Introduced in 2023, Threads is an X/Twitter-like social media service that is a companion to Instagram. See
Threads.
Follow Your Favorite Instagrammer
Individuals, entertainers and commercial enterprises post images about their area of interest, invite comments and enable people to "follow" them similar to X/Twitter.
Originally Just Photo Sharing
Instagram started out as a photo sharing app with a raft of filters to alter the image such as this before-and-after example. Over the years, video, notes and other enhancements were added, turning Instagram into one of the most widely used social media apps on the Internet.