Do you remember when Instagram was first released almost an entire decade ago? It was a time when iPhones were becoming an every-person-in-the-household item, and even before Screen Time was making us feel guilty about the hundreds of uninterrupted hours we spend staring at our phones.
Over the years, we’ve watched Instagram blossom into a huge piece of our digital world. What first began as a photo-centric application developed into our generation’s main source of entertainment and advertisement.
Let’s reminisce.
Instagram 1.0
In October 2010, an app is available for iOS users to publish images only, directly using the Instagram app’s camera feature. The weekly growth of this new app was an astonishing 100K users weekly.
By December 2010, 1 million users had already joined the platform.
Since 2010, hashtags became a “thing,” and videos were introduced to the feed. People started sliding into our DMs – it was everything we could dream of. We were soaking up all the new ways to share our artistic talents, beauty shots, and weekend trips. And we can’t forget the biggest bombshell of all time: ADS! #gamechanger #goodbyebillboards
Then in April 2016, we were thrown into the black hole of cyberspace – algorithm.
Instagram 2.0 and Beyond
As soon as Facebook and Instagram exposed their users to an unavoidable algorithm, we as a human race felt betrayed. We were so worried that our followers wouldn’t see our posts, that our clients would begin to think of those platforms as a waste – it was a nightmare. But we got over that and have found ways to beat and even utilize the system. (Consistency is key, folks!)
Instagram quickly made up for “Algor-gate” when they released its Snapchat-copycat feature: Instagram Stories. This feature was adopted by users so quickly, and Snapchat saw an immediate decline in growth. According to TechCrunch.com, “Snapchat growth slowed 82% after Instagram Stories launched.” That’s INSANE.
Now Instagram Stories have been a marketplace for brands of all types: hiking shoes, BBQ joints, and more!
It’s easy to say Instagram is the mother-load of all social media channels, especially for businesses trying to reach new customers. Every new feature until now has appealed to new users to join this world. Whether or not they were Instagram’s original idea, they’ve all been a huge success.
We’re hoping that in 2019 we see some updates on IGTV and Instagram’s shopping features that will improve the business interface!
If you’re ready to take your brand to the next level, give the Parachute Media team a call!
