What is Instagram and where did it start?
The history of Instagram is simple compared to other social media platforms. Originally the prototype of the app was called Burbn. This app was a very unique platform at the time, being one of the only apps that had a photo sharing feature. The name Instagram was created by combining the words instant and telegram. The app only took eight weeks to develop and then within the first day received over 25,000 users. After two short months of the launching, the app received one million users. With more and more users the app was on the rise and had attracted many big tech industries. Two years after the launch, Facebook acquired Instagram from one billion dollars.
The most important affordances on the app are the photos that are being shared, as well as commenting and liking posts. When the inventors of Instagram were first developing the platform when it was originally called Burbn, the app allowed users to check-in, post their plans, and then share photos. But soon they changed their focus primarily to photographs on our mobile devices. The timing of the release of Instagram was ideal because the new iPhone 4 had launched a few months prior and the main feature on the phone was a new and improved camera.
They studied different affordances that the app could adopt, such as filters, while making sure the platform still had social media sharing capabilities. The goal of Instagram was that it would be minimalist and require limited action for the users, making it "user friendly." Making sure that the three affordances would be easy to navigate by the user. The creators made it simple to upload a photo to show to the users followers along with a clear heart shape to like the photo as well and a message shape to comment on the photo. More technological affordances came along with the app so now users can make their post a little more unique, but from the start making sure it was user friendly was most important.
During the infancy stage the layout was simple, having basic feed for photos. The feed showed the users name, photo, caption and likes, this is the same for the current feed. The first and current layout are similar but also have significant differences, for instance the logo and fonts have changed. Instagram has provided more options for navigation and organization.
The core design of the feed has stayed the same. It is now sleeker and powered by an enhanced algorithm. Over the last decade the design has worked to eliminate the busy look, this was improved by creating a white background. updating the navigation bar, by adding just the most important features and organizing it in a way that makes sense.
Instagram has introduced new features in the last decade. Originally the app had basic features for simple use, finding an account required the user to search a hashtag or a person. A user could also tap a Popular Feed tab to discover posts from major influencers. But since then the platform has introduced new features. Such as Instagram stories, IGTV, and sharable posts.
Instagram started as a simple platform where users could follow celebrities and share photos. However, the platform has grown over the last decade to appeal to the needs of users. Today, the platform focuses showing unique posts to users. Instagram has evolved to include features, design, and layout that make it one of the best social media platforms.