The social network par excellence, Instagram, is celebrating its birthday. Fifteen years ago, on October 6th, 2010, an app was born that was, at first, available only to iPhone users.
It began as a simple and innovative tool for sharing images—quite revolutionary for its time. There was a certain buzz about what it might be. From the moment it launched, within the first 24 hours, a total of 25,000 people decided to download it.
That was the beginning of a meteoric rise. Within the next two months, the number of users reached one million. In less than a year, the platform had over 10 million users. Not only was the number of users growing rapidly in 2011, but Instagram also introduced hashtags (#) as a tool to group content and make it easier to find.
Instagram’s growth was unstoppable, quickly attracting the attention of competitors who had initially dismissed the new platform. That led to Facebook purchasing it in 2012 for a staggering $1 billion—a huge sum for an app that was not even two years old.
After the acquisition and with Facebook’s global reach, Instagram surpassed 100 million active users by the end of 2012.
With an international audience and the need to expand its content and appeal, Instagram evolved between 2013 and 2014 into a true social network. It introduced new features such as 15-second short videos, location tags, and private messaging between users.
Another major milestone came in 2016 with the introduction of Stories, which revolutionized not only Instagram but also Facebook. In 2020, responding to the rise of TikTok, Instagram launched Reels, which have become one of its most important features today.
Several years have passed, but the app continues to grow and improve, solidifying its position as the leading social network. Some platforms have become obsolete for certain generations, and others serve specific purposes, but Instagram remains multifunctional—with endless uses, such as selling, promoting, and advertising any kind of service or product. The expansion of e-commerce through in-app shopping has been a huge success. And that’s without even mentioning the Instagrammers and influencers who drive millions of euros in sales worldwide.
In this sense, Instagram has established itself as the number one source of information and a reference point for millions of people around the world—even overtaking Google as the preferred tool for searching travel inspiration and booking vacations, as in our case.
Instagram came to change things. It broke the mold and reinvented social media—and continues to do so. We don’t know what the future holds, but we’re sure that Instagram—or its next evolution—will be there to capture and share the spirit of the times.
Here’s to many more years together, Instagram.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Oh, and while you’re here… Follow us! @marsenseshotels
