Instagram is a platform designed to share your photos and videos with followers all around the globe.
This allows users to share their favourite memories with their followers and see what their friends are up to!
Instagram is the fourth most popular social media site, falling behind Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp.
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Instagram allows users to upload photos and videos to the service with filters, hashtags and geographical tagging.
Users can opt to have their accounts set to public or private, depending on their security settings.
Scroll down to read the article on Instagram and what users should look out for when using the site!
Capture and Share the World's Moments
Instagram was founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in April 2012. The platform quickly grew in popularity and was then acquired by Meta (formerly Facebook) for $1bn. In 2022, the service
is now valued at over $100bn. As of 2022, Instagram has over 1.393bn monthly active users. This makes Instagram the fourth most popular social media site worldwide.
Instagram was initially on track to become a mobile check in app, allowing users to share places they are visiting. Realising that this was too similar to Foursquare, the developers chose to
refocus their app on sharing images. The app was initially released for iOS devices and in Q2 2012 was released for Android, which helped greatly expand the user base.
Due to it's popularity, the platform was able to expand to many devices, increasing it's user reach. This led to over 95 million post being made on Instagram daily.
As Instagram became property of Meta, this raised data and privacy concerns for many users and organisations. The platform has been critised for negatively impacting mental health in teenagers,
alleged censorships and illegal content being uploaded by users. Studies have also found that increased consumption on Instagram has led to loneliness, issues with body image, satisfaction in life and
with the rise of influencers, a new concern of keeping up with the latest trends. In 2019, Meta announced that influencers would no longer be able to post content regarding vapes, tobacco or weapons.
This is majorly seen as a benefit, but begins to push the boundaries for what is considered censorhsip in many markets.
A multitude of studies have found that Insatgram negatively impacts users mental health and can cause depression, anxiety, stress and addiction. This is a huge cause for concern, as everyday we become
increasly more dependant on our devices. In younger users, Instagram has also been found to negatively affect academic performance. This is likely due to an addiction to the app, with users being unable to
concentrate on the task at hand. Notifications are especially concerning, as they are designed to pop up and distract the user from their work. This can be avoided by turning off notifications or using do not
disturb.
In 2012, Instagram changed their terms of service policy to allow the business to use users photos, metadata, usernames and likeness for sponsored content and promotions. This caused a severe amount of
backlash, as the policy did not mention any payment for the users information. This is one of the biggest concerns for data and privacy focused users, as it means anything they publish to Instagram can be
used against their will. This also means once they publish an image, the ownership resides with Instagram.
Instagram is a challenging social media platform from a data and privacy perspective. As soon as a user creates an account and posts a picture, this becomes property of Instagram. Their followers, likes, comments
and metadata are all harvested and used for advertising and for sponsored content. The feed is also designed to constantly keep users engaged, by showing relevant pictures and videos to the user in their home feed.
A recent Instagram update also added a store, which allows users to shop for products and services directly within the app. This is great for small businesses but even better for Instagram as they can take a cut every
time an item is purchased.
Ultimately Instagram is a larger evil in comparison to other social media sites. It is widely popular amongst many, due to its interactivity, celebrity use and easy to use interface. In order for users to stay
sane, it is advised to set timers on how much the app can be used daily, this has been studied and shows it will reduce mental health issues. As the site is now owned by Meta, the same security measures must be taken
by the user to ensure that their account is protected and secure. Having a private account and being cautious of geotagging is essential to a users safety.
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