So, what is Instagram? Welcome to your go-to guide to the fast-growing, ever-changing social media platform that is Instagram.
If you haven’t yet hopped on the Instagram bandwagon—even if you’re still asking “What is Instagram?”—the odds are slim that you’ve never heard of the social media app that has taken the world by storm. Take a moment to imagine a digital wonderland where celebrities, influencers and your long-lost high school friends coexist, where you can explore breathtaking destinations, get style inspiration from fashionistas and even catch a glimpse of what Beyoncé ate for breakfast.
After all, Instagram is more than just a photo-sharing app. It’s a digital scrapbook mixed with a never-ending reality show, where celebrities and everyday folks alike come to share their lives in a phone-shaped frame. From A-listers like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the Kardashians to your pals down the street, everyone’s triumphs and mishaps are yours for the viewing. And let’s not forget the viral moments that broke the internet, like the egg that cracked Kylie Jenner’s record for most-liked post (sorry, Kylie, the egg wins this round!).
Ready to try it for yourself? Keep reading, because we have the scoop on everything from what the app is to how to use Instagram, including all the features you don’t want to miss, like how to hide likes and how to see who unfollowed you on Instagram. So grab your phone and get ready to start your journey into the land of filters, hashtags and double-taps.
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What is Instagram?
Let’s start with the basics: What is Instagram, and what is it used for?
To put it simply, Instagram is a social media app where folks around the globe post photos and videos showcasing their day-to-day activities, art, fashion, food, travel, weight-loss stories and everything in between. Think of it as a visual diary where you can curate your life’s highlights and share them with your friends, family and even total strangers. From your morning coffee art to vacation selfies with #nofilter, the moments that make you go “wow!” are immortalized for all time (or until you delete them).
But that’s not all. What is Instagram used for, other than curating our own moments? Aside from sharing snapshots of your own life, Instagram is also the ultimate content hub. Looking for fashion inspiration? Just follow the likes of Rihanna or an influencer whose taste matches your own. Craving travel ideas? Take a virtual trip by following channels like National Geographic or travel influencers like @thebucketlistfamily.
You can even find your favorite brands, like Nike or Starbucks, and stay up to date on their latest products and offerings, though you’ll want to watch out for Instagram scams while you’re at it.
How many users does Instagram have?
Launched back in 2010, Instagram has become the go-to digital destination for more than 3 billion active users worldwide. The social media platform offers these billions of people a personalized window to the world with a twist of creativity, letting them post about their lives, discover new passions and peep into the lives of their favorite icons.
It’s all about sharing photos and videos, along with in-the-moment thoughts, inspiring messages or funny captions that might make you snort-laugh your latte. From majestic sunsets on remote beaches to the quirkiest pet antics, Instagram has it all. Oh, and is Instagram free? Yes, it 100% is!
How to use Instagram
If you don’t already know how to use Instagram, you’re missing out on a whole universe of cute cat videos (what is Instagram if not a place to obsess over your favorite animal?), epic memes and droolworthy food pics. But don’t worry—we’re here to give you the tech tips and everything else you need to know to use the app.
How to sign up for Instagram
- Go to the App Store on your iPhone (or the Google Play Store on your Android) and download the Instagram app.
- On iPhones, tap “Sign Up.” On Androids, tap “Sign Up with Email or Phone Number.”
- Enter your email address or phone number, then tap “Next.” It’s important to enter an email address that you use and can access. Alternatively, you can sign up with your Facebook account.
- Enter the confirmation code sent to your email or phone number.
- Create a username and password.
- Fill out your profile info, like your birthday and full name.
- Agree to Instagram’s terms and conditions of use. Then tap “Done.”
How to customize your profile
- Navigate to your profile page by tapping on the person icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen. (Make sure you’re logged in!)
- Tap the “Edit profile” button.
- Add a profile photo by tapping “Edit picture,” or change your username, pronouns, bio and gender by tapping on each category. You can also add a link to a website.
- Tap “Done” to save your changes.
How to manage notifications
- Open your Instagram app and navigate to your profile page by tapping on the person icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
- Tap the three-bar menu icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Tap “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap “Notifications.”
In this menu, you can choose to temporarily pause all notifications by toggling the switch next to “Pause all” to the “on” position. You can also adjust the notification settings for other categories, including posts, stories and comments; following and followers; messages; calls; live videos and reels; fundraisers; updates from Instagram; email notifications; and shopping notifications. All that makes it much easier to manage your Android or iPhone notifications and avoid overload.
How to post
- Tap on the “+” button at the bottom of the screen. (If you’re on your profile page, you can also tap the “+” in the upper-right corner.)
- In the menu on the bottom right, select “Post.”
- Instagram will show you the photos and videos from your Recents album in your photo library. Scroll through the options in that album, or tap on “Recents” and choose the album you want to browse.
- Select the photo or video you want to post by tapping on it. If you want to add multiple photos and videos in a carousel post, tap the button that looks like two overlapping boxes (below the photo and above your photo library), then select the photos you want to post. You can also adjust their size.
- Once you’re done choosing your photos or videos, tap “Next” in the top-right corner.
- Add filters to your photo or video by tapping the options below the photo. You can adjust the intensity of the filter by double-tapping the filter icon and moving the cursor to the left.
- Tap the “Edit” button on the bottom right to adjust features like contrast, brightness, structure, warmth and more.
- Once you’re done editing your photo or video, tap “Next” on the top right.
- Add a caption and, if you like, tag people and add a location to your photo or video. You can also use Instagram’s music feature to add a song or music to your post.
- Toggling the button beside Facebook or another linked social media account allows you to share your image on that platform too.
- You can also turn off comments from the advanced settings section.
- When you’ve adjusted all these settings and are ready to post, click “Share” in the top-right corner.
How to find people and brands to follow
While you’re hunting for accounts to follow, be sure you know the signs of a fake Instagram account. The last thing you want to do is follow a phony user who will sucker you into sending money or important personal details.
- Tap on the “Search” icon, which looks like a magnifying glass, at the bottom of your screen.
- Tap on the search bar at the top of the screen.
- Type in the name of the person, topic, brand or hashtag that you want to search for.
- As you type, Instagram will automatically populate search results. Select the account or result you want to search for.
- Browse the search results by scrolling through the posts or tapping on one of the categories at the top of your screen: For you, Accounts, Reels, Audio, Tags and Places.
- Once you find an account you want to follow, tap on the Instagram handle or username.
- Tap on the blue “Follow” button.
- Now, you’ll see your Instagram feed popping up with posts from that particular account you’ve followed. If you think your feed is getting repetitive, you can hit reset and get new recommendations.
How to send and receive messages
- From the home page, tap the “paper airplane” icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Tap on the search bar and enter the name of the person you want to send a message to, or tap on the name of the person in the menu of previous conversations. Then, click “Chat.”
- Type your message, add media such as photos, videos or GIFs, then tap the “send” button, which looks like an oval with a paper airplane in it.
Instagram features
Now that you have the basics down, you’re well on your way to becoming a pro at Instagram. But the actions above only scratch the surface of all the amazing things you can do on the social media app. What is Instagram but a wonderful ground for experimentation! Below, you’ll find a few more features to try.
Stories
If you want to share content with your followers but don’t want to clutter up your main profile page with a post, consider creating an Instagram Story instead. Instagram Stories are the photos and videos that appear when you tap one of the circles at the top of your Instagram feed (the row includes Stories from people you follow). Instagram Stories disappear 24 hours after they’re posted.
Notes
Instagram Notes are short status updates of up to 60 characters (text and emojis) that appear above your profile photo at the top of the Messages section of the app. Each note lasts for up to 24 hours, or until you delete or replace it. You can post your own Note and read others’ Notes as well. As part of a new update, an Instagram note can also be a clip from your favorite song!
Vanish mode
Using Instagram’s vanish mode feature, you can make the message, photos, videos, links and other content disappear when a private chat ends, so no one else can read your conversation later on. Learning how and when to use Instagram vanish mode can protect you from hackers and other impersonators, who might be snooping on your phone or breaking into your Instagram account.
Quiet mode
Need a break from the constant ping of Instagram notifications? Instagram’s quiet mode feature is here to save the day. Similar to the do-not-disturb iPhone feature, quiet mode allows you to silence notifications on Instagram for up to 12 hours a day. By default, the feature runs from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., but you can customize your quiet mode hours based on your preferences.
Add Yours
If you’ve spent some time on the app, you might have noticed an “Add Yours” sticker on your friends’ Instagram Stories and wondered what the heck it was for. With the “Add Yours” sticker, users can join virtual journeys, partake in challenges and add their voice to a broader community narrative by adding their own photos, videos or text to the sticker’s prompt or theme.
Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels is a TikTok-like feature that allows users to create and upload videos up to 90 seconds long for their followers and other Instagram users. You can watch Instagram Reels from other users by tapping on the clapboard icon at the bottom of the screen.
To make a Reel of your own, just tap on the “+” icon at the bottom of your screen and select “Reel” from the menu of options in the lower right corner. From there, you can record, create and post your own Reel—even adding music, text and special effects. When you post a Reel, your followers can like or comment on it, just like any other post on your feed.
Instagram Live
With Instagram Live, you can livestream (or broadcast live video) from your device to your followers. Only Instagram users with more than 1,000 followers and a public account can go live. If you have a creator account, you can go live for up to four hours at a time before the livestream ends. For personal and business accounts, the stream time limit is one hour.
While you’re streaming, viewers can comment and send likes and hearts, but you can disable that feature. You will also receive a notification whenever anyone you follow starts a livestream. Once you’re done sharing an Instagram Live, you can share a replay or access it in your Live archive.
Instagram Shopping
As you use the app, you may stumble upon Instagram posts from certain brands that include items you can buy. Purchasing anything through Instagram is easy. Just tap on the item you want to buy, which will take you to the brand website, where you can complete your purchase.
Tips for using Instagram
What is Instagram? Only your new favorite social media app. And it becomes even better when you follow the tips below to save time, ease anxiety and get the most from the app.
Schedule posts in advance
Let’s be honest: We have busy lives, and we can’t always post on Instagram at exactly the right time for maximum visibility. That’s where scheduling a post in advance can come in handy. All you have to do is create the post and choose a time and date in the future, and Instagram will automatically post it for you. This feature is available only for professional accounts right now, but you can download a third-party app like Buffer to schedule posts too.
Hide likes on posts
When you receive likes on a photo, video or other content on Instagram, you’re getting virtual high-fives from people who have seen and enjoyed your post. That can feel good most of the time, but there’s a darker side to chasing social media validation: Studies have found that focusing on like counts can be addictive, cause anxiety and depression, and increase stress levels.
Fortunately, you can tame this bad social media habit and limit the negative effects by controlling whether others see the number of likes your post has gotten. To hide the “like” count from a post you’re creating, simply tap on the “Advanced settings” tab toward the bottom of the screen and toggle the switch next to “Hide like and view counts on this post” to the “on” position.
You can also hide the “likes” from the posts in your feed by navigating to your profile, tapping the three-bar icon in the top-right corner, selecting “What you see,” tapping “Like and share counts” and toggling the switch to the “on” position next to the “Hide like & share counts” option.
See who unfollowed you
Just as there’s no button that’ll show you who has blocked you on Instagram, there’s no unfollow feature built into the app either. But you can manually check if particular accounts are following you. Simply go to your profile page, tap “Followers” in the top menu and type the person’s username or real name in the search bar. If the person’s name does not appear—and you know they were following you before—it’s safe to say they unfollowed you.
Alternatively, try going to the “Following” list on their profile page and typing in your own username to see if they are still following you. You can also download a third-party app, such as Followers, Reports Plus or IG Followers, that can track who has unfollowed you.
Save Instagram photos and videos
Found an amazing post of a great hairstyle idea or delicious recipe that you just can’t live without? Good news: Instagram allows you to save photos and videos so you can go back to them later.
To save a post on Instagram, tap on the bookmark icon just below the post. The photo or video will be stored in your “Saved” folder. You can find it again by going to your profile, tapping the three-bar menu icon and selecting the “Saved” option. If you want to download someone else’s video to your phone, however, you’ll need to record your screen.
Archive posts instead of deleting them
Rather than permanently deleting posts that don’t perform well or don’t look good on your profile, consider archiving them instead. You can archive a post by opening it, tapping the three dots in the top-right corner and then selecting “Archive.” The post will be hidden (but not deleted!) from your profile.
You can see all your archived posts, and even restore them to your profile, by going to your profile page, tapping the three-bar menu icon and selecting the “Archives” option. That’s so much more practical than taking a screenshot of your posts before deleting them.
FAQs
What is the difference between Facebook and Instagram?
Unlike Facebook, which allows users to post both text and pictures, Instagram is all about the visuals. Users on Instagram mainly share photos or videos with their audience—and only a limited number at a time. Whereas you might choose to post 100 photos in a Facebook album, you are limited to 20 images or video clips per Instagram post.
Can you use Instagram on a computer, or is it only available as a mobile app?
Yes, definitely! You can use Instagram from your web browser on your laptop or home computer. Just visit Instagram’s website and log in to your account, as usual. You could also use your Facebook account to manage Instagram. However, certain functionalities, such as disappearing messages, are limited to the mobile app and are not available on the computer.
What are Instagram Highlights and how do you create them?
You can add Stories to your profile and keep them available for longer using the Instagram highlights feature. Visit your profile page to create a new highlight, add a Story to an existing highlight, or edit or delete any highlight. Simply click on your profile icon, click on the “+New” icon below your bio, choose the Stories you want in the highlight, select a cover image and name, then click “Done.” The highlight will now appear on your profile for all your followers.
How can I protect my privacy on Instagram?
All social media platforms come with a fair share of risk to your privacy—and Instagram is no exception. But there are some steps you can take to prevent your personal information from falling into the hands of Instagram hackers or others will less-than-good intentions.
To control who can see your posts, you can set your account to “Private,” which limits your profile’s visibility to your approved followers. Creating a Close Friends list can also enable you to create Instagram Stories that are visible only to specific people. Last, business accounts on Instagram can set an age limit on their profiles, restricting the minimum age of users who can view their posts.
What does it mean to restrict someone on Instagram?
If you’re wondering what happens when you restrict someone on Instagram, you’re not alone. This new privacy feature allows users to limit how often they see comments and messages from certain accounts on their feed, protecting them from harassment and abusive or annoying comments and messages.
This feature won’t alert the user that you have restricted them. Keep in mind that you can also disable comments on posts and report users to Instagram if you’re dealing with harassment on the app.
Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of articles on personal technology, arming readers with the knowledge to protect themselves against cybersecurity threats and internet scams as well as revealing the best tips, tricks and shortcuts for computers, cellphones, apps, texting, social media and more. For this piece on all things Instagram, Brook Nelson Anderson tapped her experience as a two-time Emmy-nominated tech writer with nearly 10 years of experience. We rely on credentialed experts with personal experience and know-how as well as primary sources including tech companies, professional organizations and academic institutions. We verify all facts and data and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- The Verge: “Instagram hits 3 billion monthly users”
- Instagram Help: “Editing your profile”
- Instagram Help: “Start a live broadcast on Instagram”
- Instagram Help: “Ways to shop on Instagram”
- Instagram Help: “Stories”
