history and evolution
Instagram launched in 2010 as an independent app created by Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom. In 2012, the founders sold Instagram to Facebook to expand their user base as well as to lower product development costs by sharing Facebook’s resources. Instagram benefits from Facebook’s ad sales rep and operates on the same ad platform.The decision to sell Instagram to Facebook resulted in the app sky-rocketing from a lifestyle platform that reached hundreds of thousands to a premiere social media app that reaches on average of 500 million people daily, which is double the number of active users on Twitter and Snapchat. Further, Instagram’s impact extends beyond posting photos. The app is a source for new jobs including Instagram models, photographers, and retailers, and it is the top platform that celebrities and influencers use to promote and deliver their content.