CNBNews

Background 

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(Sept. 29, 2020)--Instagram is a popular video and photo sharing platform designed and created by two Americans, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in October 2010. Their creation quickly gained a huge following where others had failed. A million followers in less than two months, ten million in just over a year and topped the one billion mark by 2019.

The Rise and Development

Various updated versions were introduced over the years. The Android version hit the market in April 2012, a desktop interface version was created later the same year. The Fire OS application was developed and became available to users in June 2014. Another breakthrough came in October 2016. An application for Windows was developed with almost revolutionary capabilities. With this new app, users could upload content that could be edited with the aid of filters. Posts on the app could also be shared with anyone or with restricted pre-selected followers. Users could browse co-users' content by making use of tags. The new app also enabled users to follow trends and to like photos. There are other websites that even allow you to buy Instagram likes.

Another capability that allows users to follow other users and add their content to a feed has created controversy and its use is likely to be discontinued in September 2020.

To revert back to its early history, Instagram was acquired by Facebook in 2012 for a whooping USD 1 Billion. What led to this phenomenal rise in popularity of Instagram where other apps failed? Opinions differ. The Co-Founders themselves ascribe it to luck. It seems Instagram developers coincided with the development of Smartphone technology. Smartphone technology enabled ordinary people to create complex photographs using just their handsets. Used in conjunction with Instagram, the new Technology quickly gained popularity as it provided people with a means to capture and record special moments in their lives. 

Interesting Statistics

Below are some interesting facts and figures worth noting;

• Immediately after launching, Instagram had one million users within the first two months and ten million users within the first year
• One billion registered users by May 2019
• Forty billion photos uploaded on the platform as of October 2015
• Christiano Ronaldo remains the most followed person on Instagram with a whooping 233million followers as at 31 July 2020
• The most liked egg photo on Instagram has hit a record high of 54million likes!

Instagram Allows Businesses to Target Specific Audiences

Instagram has become a popular and effective means of advertising products and services for brands and retailers. Once the business owner creates a profile, it makes it possible to post ads without resorting to other social media platform advertising  tools. One easy way of getting free followers on Instagram is to use websites like Likigram. Your followers are able to view your ads at the click of a button, and get in touch with you.

Through Instagram, it is possible to obtain useful information about your followers;

• Interests - makes it easier to target a certain group of people who have certain interests 
• Demographics-it will help you target a specific gender within a certain age group 
• Managing particular geographical locations

Conclusion

In spite of its huge popularity, however, the Instagram app has not been without controversy. The major complaints of ellegal content like ponorgraphy and infringements on privacy.

image courtesy of unsplash.com