Instagram is a 📝Meta product — a photo and short-video social network where users post to a permanent grid, share twenty-four-hour Stories, and scroll an algorithmic feed of accounts they follow and content the platform surfaces.
Launched in October 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Instagram was acquired by 📝Facebook in 2012 for roughly one billion dollars — a deal that became a centerpiece of subsequent antitrust scrutiny against Meta. The app has grown from a filtered-photo niche into one of the world's largest social platforms, with over two billion monthly active users by 2024.
Built for creators, brands, and everyday users who share visual moments — photographers and influencers organize around the grid, businesses run ads and Shop tab listings, and most users spend their time inside Stories, Reels, and Direct Messages with friends.
Key Features
- Feed posts — the permanent photo and short-video grid that defines an account's public identity, ranked through a blend of recency and Explore-style algorithmic recommendation.
- Stories — twenty-four-hour ephemeral photo and short-video posts pinned at the top of the feed, with stickers, polls, music overlays, and a dedicated archive for highlights.
- Reels — short vertical video feed competing with TikTok, with native creation tools (audio library, effects, transitions) and algorithmic distribution beyond a creator's follower base.
- Direct Messages (DMs) — one-to-one and group messaging with text, voice notes, photos, video calls, and disappearing messages, now the platform's primary back-channel for creators.
- Shopping and ads — in-app product catalogs, shoppable posts, checkout flow, and the full Meta Ads Manager surface for paid campaigns targeting the platform's audience graph.
Getting Started
- Download Instagram from the App Store or Google Play.
- Create an account with email, phone, or a Facebook login — pick a unique handle.
- Set up your profile photo, bio, and follow a few accounts to seed the feed.
- Post your first photo or short video to the grid, or share a Story.
- Switch to a Business or Creator account in Settings if you plan to run ads.