In its first release in 2010, Instagram initially allowed content to be framed in a square (1:1) aspect ratio of 640 pixels, which matched the display width of the iPhone 4. An update was later released that increased the aspect ratio to 1080 pixels and added features like Instagram Direct, Stories, and the ability to upload multiple images and videos on one post. As of 2022, the platform has 500 million daily active users.
Useful Instagram Articles
How to See Who Saved Your Instagram PostWhy Does Instagram Autofollow Accounts for Me?How to Hide Posts From Someone on InstagramHow to Know if Someone Restricted You on InstagramHow to Fix the Instagram 5xx Server ErrorHow to View Instagram Stories Without Them KnowingHow to Reverse Audio on InstagramHow To Turn Off Seen On Instagram
1 Useful Instagram Articles2 Notable Features of Instagram2.1 Hashtags2.2 Instagram Direct
Notable Features of Instagram
One of the app’s main features is allowing users to post images and short clips, follow other Instagram profiles and organize content through geotagging. Most users can set their profile to private, requiring them to approve new follower requests that can see their content. Users can also link their Instagram accounts to other social media platforms, allowing them to share their content on those sites. In 2011, a new update was released containing live filters, high-resolution photographs, instant tilt-shift, image borders, one-click rotation, and a new app icon.
Hashtags
One of the app’s earliest features is hashtags. Instagram introduced it to help discover photos and know more about other users. The app also encouraged users to create relevant tags instead of tagging generic words and phrases. Users have created trends by using specific hashtags. The most mainstream hashtags on the app often relate to a particular day of the week they post their content. Some of Instagram’s most popular hashtag trends include #SelfieSunday, #TransformationTuesday, #MotivationMonday, #ThrowbackThursday, and much more. In 2017, Instagram enabled users to follow their desired hashtags, which displayed relevant content about the topic on their feeds.
Instagram Direct
In an update in late 2013, Instagram launched Instagram Direct, which allowed users to interact via private messaging. Users that follow each other can send and receive messages and content. When users receive a message from a user they don’t follow, it’s temporarily assigned as pending until the recipient accepts it. Two years later, the feature received a major update, including conversation threading and a built-in camera button. It allowed users to share hashtag pages, locations, and profiles directly from the news feed. Also, users can now reply to messages through emojis or by clicking on a heart icon. An update in 2016 enabled users to make their sent messages disappear after being viewed by the recipient, with the sender being notified once the recipient attempts to take a screenshot. In 2020, Facebook started integrating Instagram Direct into the Messenger app. It also unveiled a new icon, where the Instagram Direct icon transforms into a Facebook Messenger icon.
