Photo taken as a screenshot from: Brown, J. (2015, October 1). Instagram Hits 400M users, Beats Twitter. Retrieved November 24, 2015, from https://www.quora.com/How-many-users-does-Instagram-have
Just a little background information
Instagram was co-founded by Kevin Systrom. It originated out of California and started out as a private company. In just a year and a half, Instagram managed to attract 30 million users. Mark Zuckerburg later offered Systrom $1 billion to buy Instagram, in that included $300 million in cash and the rest in Facebook stock.
How Do I Use Instagram?
Instagram is an application in which you can take photos, add filters, write a fairly short caption, and share them to your profile for all of your followers to see. I use Instagram as strictly a personal outlet. My profile is just for my use only, I just post photos to share to my followers what I am up to, things that I have done, and things that I like. I also use it to follow friends, celebrities, and bloggers that capture my interest.
How Do I See Others Use Instagram?
Instagram, however, is increasingly becoming an assist for companies and brands to reach more visitors. Instagram is being further implemented in a growing number of companies. Depending on the target market, Instagram is a good way to get word out about their product or brand in a fun easy way that reaches a huge amount of people. I also see that there are an increasing amount of bloggers who post to Instagram as an easy way to reach more followers.
What Do I Think is Most Beneficial and Most Detrimental?
I think that the most beneficial thing about Instagram is how easy it is to use. It is a super fast and pain free way to share to followers what you are doing and what you are interested in. I don’t find this as crucial for me as it is for companies and brands. With a user volume of over 400 Million, there is a huge possibility to reach a very large number of people. What I see as the most detrimental is that there isn’t a clear easy way to share other people’s photos or profiles. There is no easy “retweet” option like there is with Twitter. With this there becomes the problem of how can the word about our profile or post be spread to other users or even other medias?
How Have I seen Instagram Change?
I have seen Instagram change in multiple different ways. Of course with being a technology based social media, there is always going to be changing and updating and altering, it is just a way to keep up with society and the latest trends. What I have noticed recently though is the increase in promoted ads, photos/videos, and profiles. I never used to see this but now at least a few times a day when I am scrolling through my newsfeed I notice multiple ads from companies or brands trying to promote their products.
Facts and outside information found from:
Brown, J. (2015, October 1). Instagram Hits 400M users, Beats Twitter. Retrieved November 24, 2015, from https://www.quora.com/How-many-users-does-Instagram-have
Costill, A. (2014). 30 Things You Absolutely Need to Know About Instagram. Search Engine Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://www.searchenginejournal.com/30-things-absolutely-need-know-instagram/85991/
Lux, K. (2011). What is Instagram and Why Is It So Popular? School of Information Studies Syracuse University. Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://infospace.ischool.syr.edu/2011/12/15/what-is-instagram-and-why-is-it-so-popular/
Swisher, K. (2013, May 6). The Money Shot. Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2013/06/kara-swisher-instagram
alexgoesanywhere 
I really like how you made it a point to mention that Instagram is and will constantly update to keep up with todays growing trends. You’re right about all the ads as well. Instagram has grown so much that it can be a place to market products now. Great post!
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I had no idea about the origins of Instagram, especially Mark Z’s big offer. That was cool to read. I definitely have to agree about the downsides of Instagram. It’s hard to pass something on that you like or agree with. Additionally, I’ve noticed the ads coming up too. Unfortunately, everything seems to have ads now. Great work!
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I thought it was really interesting that you honed in on one specific social media platform! I thought you made really good points, especially because I feel as though sometimes people overlook Instagram as a marketing tool, when in reality it opens up a huge avenue to your target market. Nice job!
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I 100% agree Instagram is a great outlet for advertising because as you said there are so many people you can reach out to. Also, I’ve noticed a lot more ads as well and I have a feeling it’s only going to get more prominent.
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Good job on this! You took a different approach on this blog post, focusing on Instagram, which I liked. Instagram most definitely has grown in a short amount of time. It will be interesting to watch how it transforms in the future.
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Very well put together ! I did not know how Instagram was originated.
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The fact that Mark Zuckerburg offered to buy it for 1 billion dollars says a lot about Instagram and how popular it is. I thought it was interesting how you narrowed down to one specific social media instead of multiple. I also liked how you talked about the disadvantages specific toward the application itself. Different approach, but I enjoyed it!
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