#Instalove #Instagood #InstagramIsWinning
Instagram is probably one of the most popular apps in the world today. Since it was founded in 2010, it has grown from 1 million users in the first two months to a massive 1000 million active users in June 2018 (Source: Statista).
I use Instagram daily, to snoop around what my friends & family are doing, check up on new launches or announcements by local as well as world-class brands and of course, looking at cat videos.
But how did this simple photo sharing app become one of the most addictive apps of all time? There wasn’t much you could do with Instagram at the start, other than follow people and share pictures. Then why does my brain force me to take a picture of what’s on my plate everytime I go to a restaurant?
In my last story, I mentioned that I’ll be focusing on one app each week, trying to figure out what makes it so addictive and pen down my findings here every week (Haven’t read it? No worries, here you go). As you might have already guessed, this story is focussed on how Instagram is taking over the world.

Instagram started in 2010, a time when most smartphones did not have the awesome cameras with dual-tone flashes & high power lenses. This story made me go back to my first post on Instagram, one which has now disappointed me because I have only one “like” on it. But then, I had a Samsung Galaxy Fit, and did not have enough skill and opportunity for a like-worthy photo.

I got on the wagon a little last in August 2013, when it had almost 150 million active users.
I remember Instagram offered frames back then, the weird outlines you could add to your square photos to make them look…artistic? In fact, you could not even post anything other than square pictures until recently. I could see how that would be a problem, since all phones usually took rectangular photos, making it difficult to fit the object in the app.
Even so, the app had something magical, something which forced developers to create special apps which could turn your rectangular photos into squared ones by adding a gradient or a color behind them. I am not sure if Instagram was one of the reasons why smartphone manufacturers now have a square mode to capture photos, but it could very well be.
I do not remember much about Instagram until recently, except that it was a blue themed app, with the same 5 action bottom navigation. It’s design always has been simple, and one the reasons why Instagram has hooked users on for years and years.

The concept of the app is simple. There are 5 options to choose from in the bottom navigation bar. Clear call to actions with clearly defined icons. No explanation needed.
Home — A place to check out what others are posting about. You must follow more and more accounts to make this truly endless. This is the place to be, a well curated feed of all your interests in one place.
Explore — Based on what you like and who you follow, Instagram understands what you may like, showing this in your explore feed. These are not the accounts you follow, but accounts your friends follow or just based on your activity. A good way to find someone to follow.
New Post — A must for all social media accounts. This enables you to add a new post to your account, and it is placed at the center to make sure the user notices it clearly. This is the reason why 3-action or 5-action bottom navs work best. The center action is the most primary one that the user is supposed to perform.
Likes — A place to boost your social ego. regina_phalange & 650 others liked your post. That’s awesome! My post is viral! Time for my next awesome post.
You — Your profile. Your Instagram report card. How many posts till date, how many people do you follow or how many follow you. A list of all your posts & the ones you’ve been tagged in. This is all about you.
In face of heavy competition from Snapchat, Instagram has now evolved from a picture perfect app to a right here, right now communications app. Instagram essentially took the cake away from the table with “Stories” and has been eating it since August 2016.
Snapchat, on the other hand, continues to survive with streaks & bitmoji, but has failed to hook me on like Instagram has. I installed Snapchat about a month ago and while I have tried to use it everyday, but I just don’t care enough about streaks. While it might be a good reward for someone, it just doesn’t seem much valuable to me. (This is a post for later).
Coming back to Instagram, they have really done well with stories, with extensions to add text, stickers, gifs, ratings, & the Ask Me Anything. When the AMA feature was released, my account was filled with all kinds of AMAs, I made an AMA for myself, too.
Stories also brought in Instagram Live. Live-Streaming was now main-stream. Are you at a football stadium? Go live with thousands of others probably doing the same. Want to have a quick chat with your followers, go live! Connecting with your network has never been this easy. They also brought in Instagram TV, which to be honest I have not checked out.
The most important reason why millions of users are addicted to Instagram is their design pattern.
Anticipation — This is the most important pattern I noticed.
- Loading the photo — Imagine you’re using a slow internet connection (sorry for the nightmare in the middle of a story, but it’s important), Instagram shows a blank view followed by a blurred view of the image that is about to load to 100%. This makes the user wait for it to load and keep the user antipating as to what they are about to see. While this may not be intentional but a clever use of product design, nonetheless.
- Endless scrolls — Also not something new, almost all social media apps do have an endless scrolling, always keep the user thinking about what will show up next.
Rewards — Keeping the user happy every time they use the app.

- Likes & Comments — Old school but at the heart of Instagram. Everytime you use a hashtag to categorise your image / video into the database, people with similar interests can checkout your posts. This leads to increased interaction between two users. While textual posts are usually about forming an opinion and then deciding whether to like or comment on it, photos / videos are more focused on the visual appeal.
- Your Network — This is costliest reward you possess. You have been on the app since 2013, for 5 years you have created a network of amazing people who share the same interests as you and have a lot of followers who look forward to your content. Would you dare move away from Instagram?
- Ratings, Questions & Polls — Wanna know how awesome you look in that dress? Say no more. Your network is here to help! These features help you connect with your audience directly, getting opinions & questions right in your inbox. Those new shoes you bought last weekend? “They are 😍” — Your followers.
Instagram has got in new career options like being a social media influencer. These influencers help brands reach out to thousands of people & essentially go viral. Influencers are awesome at doing what they do, create great posts & stories to keep the anticipation high for an upcoming product launch or their own videos / blogs.
If you’re a brand looking to connect with your users, Instagram is the way to go. Bring creative is essential if you want to have an excellent Instagram account with active followers. Some of my favourite brands who are killing it on the app are Zomato India, Unilad, Netflix India, MKBHD & dbrand. Their creativity is worth an applause.
Instagram is an app you just cannot shy away from. How can you not capture your pixel-perfect memories & store them on an app that is visited by over 1000 million people? In fact, I just posted an Instagram Story to let my followers know that a new blog is coming right up.
Yep, I’m addicted to Instagram.

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Oh, someone liked my post on Instagram! Cya next weekend.
