Instagram users have the option to add a digital filter to their photos or videos

Instagram users have the option to add a digital filter to their photos or videos

Instagram is a free, online photo-sharing application and social network platform that was acquired by Facebook in 2012.

Instagram allows users to edit and upload photos and short videos through the mobile app.  Users can add a caption to each of their posts and use hashtags and location-based geotags to index these posts and they can be searched by other users within the app.  Each post by the user appears on their followers' Instagram feed and when tagged using a hashtag or geotag, they can also be viewed by the public.  Users also have the option to make their profile private so that only their followers can see their posts.

Like other social networking platforms, Instagram users can like, comment and bookmark others' posts, as well as send private messages to their friends through the Instagram Direct feature.  Photos can be shared on one or several other social media sites - including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr - with one click.

Instagram is not only a tool for individuals, but also for businesses.  The photo-sharing app provides
an opportunity for companies to start a free business account to promote their brands and products.  Companies with business accounts have access to free engagement and impression metrics.  According to Instagram's website, more than 1 million advertisers worldwide use Instagram to share their stories and drive business results.  Additionally, 60% of people say that they discover new products through the app.

Instagram history

Instagram was started in San Francisco by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, who initially tried to create a platform similar to Forscue, but then specifically turned their attention to photo sharing.  The word Instagram is a mixture of "instant camera" and "telegram".

The iOS app was released through the iTunes App Store on October 6, 2010, and the Android app was released on April 3, 2012.  The platform's popularity was skyrocketing, with the company reporting over 40 million active users just two years after its launch.  It caught the attention of Facebook, which officially bought Instagram in the summer of 2012 for $ 1 billion.

Instagram users have the option to add a digital filter to their photos or videos.

Originally, only photos could be posted to Instagram, but the company expanded the 15-second video in 2013.  In 2016, Instagram increased the video's maximum length to 60 seconds.  As of 2015, all photos posted on Instagram were limited to a square aspect ratio.  The company changed this to allow users to upload photos and videos at full size.

The company has been the source of some controversies.  In 2012, Instagram added this sentence to its Terms of Service.

To help us provide interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity will provide us with your username, likeness, photo (with any related metadata), and / or actions you take  Can pay for the payment of  Or sponsored content or promotions without any compensation.

After a massive backlash from users who feared Instagram would sell their photos and identifiers, CEO Systrom assured users that the company had not intended.  The language was quickly removed from the policy.

A 2013 controversy centered around criticisms that Instagram was censoring photos that did not break the company's terms and conditions and that these censorship were unfairly targeting women's bodies.  The Instagram decision in 2016 also drew negative feedback for shifting from displaying timeline photos using an algorithm to determine photos in chronological order.

As of April 2017, the company had 700 million active users, more than double of Twitter's total user base.

Editing Tools and Features

Instagram offers a wide range of digital filters that can be applied to users' photos, including a vintage or faded look.  Other editing features include Lux, an effect that lightens shadows, exposes highlights and increases contrast, and photo-tuning tools allow users to improve brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, composition, straightness, and color.  Allows to adjust.  A manual tilt shift and vignette effect can also be added to photos.

In 2017, Instagram introduced a feature that allows users to post multiple photos or videos simultaneously to be presented in a carousel format.

Taking inspiration from Snapchat's popular app, Instagram introduced a Stories feature in 2016, which allows users to share moments of their day that disappear after 24 hours.  Instagram Stories includes the ability to include augmented reality-based face filters and stickers, and to add geotags directly to text, images, emojis, links, and photos or videos.  In April 2017, Instagram Stories recorded 200 million active users, surpassing Snapchat's active users, its biggest rival.

 A range of add-on apps are also available in Instagram.  These apps are Boomerang, which creates custom GIFs;  Hyperlapse, which produces time-lapse videos;  And layout, which creates image collages with multiple images.  When installed, these apps can be accessed directly from the Instagram app.

How to set up and use instagram

The Instagram app is available for download on Apple's iPhone, iPad, and other iOS devices to Android devices via the App Store and Google Play.

Once installed, users will be prompted to sign up for free and will be given the option to input their email address, which can be used to create a username and password or to log in to use their Facebook account  Forces it.  New users can follow people by watching the app on Instagram through their Facebook friends and people in their contact list.

 From the Home tab, the first screen that appears when the app is opened, Instagram users can view photos from the accounts they follow in the same format as Facebook's Newsfeed.  Instagram stories - posted by users you're following - are displayed at the top of the home feed in the form of circular profile photos.  Users can use Instagram Direct at the top right corner of their home feed.

The Explore tab of the Instagram app allows members to search for user accounts by searching for hashtags or geotags to follow or search for user photos.  The Explore tab presents curated content and recommendations based on user activity and the accounts they follow, as well as ongoing hashtags and popular posts.  The Activity tab displays recent engagement on posts in the form of likes and comments, and also recent activity followed by the user.

The Profile tab presents all the user's photos and video posts in one place and a brief bio.  To post a photo or video, click on the Camera tab, which will give the option to take a photo or video from within the app or choose a photo or video from the device's library.