The new analytics page, known as Instagram Insights, allowed business accounts to view top posts, reach, impressions, engagement and demographic data. The company launched carousel image ads in October 2015, and video carousel ads in March 2016. Paid verification allowed eligible Instagram users to request verification for their accounts via paying a fee, rather than relying solely on meeting the platform’s traditional criteria for verification.

For Business

In May 2021, Instagram began allowing users in some regions to add pronouns to their profile page. In March 2021, Instagram launched a new feature in which four people can go live at once. In August 2020, Instagram began a pivot to video, introducing a new feature called « Reels ». Also in July 2019, Instagram announced that it would implement new features designed to reduce harassment and negative comments on https://www.cuscocasinoonline.nl/ the service. Mosseri stated that this was intended to have users « worry a little bit less about how many likes they’re getting on Instagram and spend a bit more time connecting with the people that they care about. » It has been argued that low numbers of likes in relativity to others could contribute to a lower self-esteem in users.
However, Instagram discontinued this version of Threads in December 2021, mainly due to most of its features being rolled out on Instagram itself, as well as low usage compared to other social media applications. The change was made official in October, with head of product Vishal Shah stating that the feature was underused and that some users were « surprised » when they realized their activity was being surfaced in this manner. In August 2019, Instagram also began to pilot the removal of the « Following » tab from the app, which had allowed users to view a feed of the likes and comments made by users they follow. The application was shut down and removed from app stores in March 2022, citing low usage and a shift to short-form video content. Users can take photos and edit them using built-in filters and other tools, then share them on other social media platforms like Facebook. Instagrama is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms.

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Now, users are only able to see a curated selection of « popular » posts using a given hashtag. In January 2011, Instagram introduced hashtags to help users discover both photos and each other. Users can also « archive » their posts in a private storage area, out of visibility for the public and other users.

Supports

A comparison of users with non-users showed boys with an account differ from boys without in terms of over-evaluation of their shape and weight, skipping meals, and levels of reported disordered eating cognitions. A 2021 study by Büttner & Rudertb showed that not being tagged in an Instagram photo triggers the feeling of social exclusion and ostracism, especially for those with higher needs to belong. Mackson et al. 2019 found users were less lonely than non-users and Instagram membership predicts lower self-reported loneliness.

• In April 2016, Instagram began rolling out a change to the order of photos visible in a user’s timeline, shifting from a strictly chronological order to one determined by an algorithm.
• It was followed by the release of Hyperlapse in August, an iOS-exclusive app that uses « clever algorithm processing » to create tracking shots and fast time-lapse videos.
• To comply with the GDPR regulations regarding data portability, Instagram introduced the ability for users to download an archive of their user data in April 2018.
• Research shows Instagram browsing predicts social comparison, which generates FOMO, which can lead to depression.
• The Burbn Beta app was made available for iOS on October 6, 2010, by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger — still as a prototype, but for the first time available as a real app on the App Store rather than a web-based prototype.
• Initially a purely photo-sharing service, Instagram incorporated 15-second video sharing in June 2013.

The trends deemed the most popular on the platform often highlight a specific day of the week to post the material on. Users can set their account as « private », thereby requiring that they approve any new follower requests. In April 2024, Instagram announced that they would start testing new tools « within weeks » to fight sextortion, a form of blackmail involving intimate pictures sent online. In December 2023, Instagram launched a podcast titled « Close Friends Only » featuring conversations among celebrities. Also in February 2023, Zuckerberg announced that Meta would start selling blue « verified » badges on Instagram and Facebook. In September 2022, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission fined the company $402 million under privacy laws recently adopted by the European Union over how it handled the privacy data of minors.

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On September 3, 2025, Instagram launched a native iPadOS app, which before relied on the iOS app and did not utilize the larger screen size of tablets. Subsequent episodes in June and August 2024 featured Reneé Rapp, Rachel Sennott, Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla. These changes are ostensibly an attempt to hinder the spread of misinformation, while Instagram has also repeatedly stated that hashtags do not help posts get views. In April 2022, Instagram began testing the removal of the ability to see « recent » posts from various hashtags.

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Citing misinterpretations about its intention to « communicate that we’d like to experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram », Systrom also stated that it was « our mistake that this language is confusing » and that « it is not our intention to sell your photos ». The move garnered severe criticism from users, prompting Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom to write a blog post one day later, announcing that they would « remove » the offending language from the policy. There was no option for users to opt out of the changed Terms of Service without deleting their accounts before the new policy went into effect on January 16, 2013. The Verge wrote that cybersecurity firm RepKnight had found contact information for multiple actors, musicians, and athletes, and singer Selena Gomez’s account was used by the hackers to post naked photos of her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber.

• When children watch short-form videos, they learn to expect continual stimulation and fast-paced changes, which can cause problems when engaging in activities that require greater focus, such as reading.
• The second recruited 10 monthly users for a 5-day diary study, where they recorded their online habits.
• According to the research, Instagram has a higher impact on appearance comparison than TikTok or Snapchat.
• In February 2023, Instagram introduced a new feature allowing users to browse and post GIFs in their comments.
• In a now-deleted Facebook post, Instagram wrote that « When developing content, we recommend focusing on your business objective or goal rather than hashtags ».
• On December 20, Instagram announced that the advertising section of the policy would be reverted to its original October 2010 version.

On December 20, Instagram announced that the advertising section of the policy would be reverted to its original October 2010 version. The Daily Beast was provided with a sample of the affected accounts and could confirm that, while many of the email addresses could be found with a Google search in public sources, some did not return relevant Google search results and thus were from private sources. Hours after the hack, a searchable database was posted online, charging $10 per search. However, the following month, more details emerged, with a group of hackers selling contact information online, with the affected number of accounts in the « millions » rather than the previously assumed limitation on verified accounts. The company said in a statement that it had « fixed the bug swiftly » and was running an investigation.

YouTube TV

The number of monthly users also increased from 1.5 billion in 2022 to 1.8 billion as of 2024. In November 2019, it was announced that Instagram would start to roll out a new feature to Brazil known as Instagram Reels. Albums were introduced in February 2017, which allow up to 10 minutes of video to be shared in one post. The addition was seen by some in the technology media as Facebook’s attempt at competing with the then-popular video-sharing application Vine. Initially a purely photo-sharing service, Instagram incorporated 15-second video sharing in June 2013.
On March 14, the ban took effect, with almost 80 million users losing access to Instagram. In July 2021, Instagram temporarily censored videos with the phrase « death to Khamenei ». Sometimes the phrase « Chinese Instagram » is used to refer to Xiaohongshu, a competitor social media app which is not to be confused with Instagram.