Since bursting onto the social media scene in October 2010, Instagram has evolved from a simple photo-sharing app into a wildly popular platform that over 1 billion users can‘t live without.
But how did Instagram get its start? And how did it become one of the world‘s leading social networks in just over a decade?
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore Instagram‘s origins, explosive growth, and journey to global adoption, while revealing the innovations, acquisitions and in-app features that kept users hooked along the way. Whether you‘ve been on Instagram from day one or are just curious about its backstory, read on for the fascinating tale behind one of tech‘s fastest-rising stars!
Section 1: The Beginnings – From Idea to App Store
Instagram‘s story begins with two Stanford graduates: Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. After meeting through the grad program in the mid-2000s, the two became friends and bonded over a shared interest in technology and entrepreneurship.
After Stanford, Systrom went to work at Nextstop, a recommendations app that would later get acquired by Facebook. It was here where Kevin started forming ideas for his own mobile app – one based around location check-ins and photo sharing.
In early 2010 Systrom began working on a prototype app called Burbn (named after his love of fine bourbon whiskeys). Burbn allowed users to check-in to locations, make plans, earn points for hanging out with friends, and post pictures.
While Burbn garnered some initial buzz, Systrom worried it was too similar to market leader Foursquare. He decided to go back to the drawing board, this time bringing in Mike Krieger to turn Burbn into something fresh and different for the fast-evolving mobile space.
The Pivot – Focus Becomes Photo Sharing
In working to find Burbn‘s new direction, Systrom and Krieger closely studied user data and feedback. They noticed photo-sharing features were hugely popular with test users. At the same time mobile apps like Hipstamatic showcased the appeal of filters and creativity tools.
In response, Mike and Kevin made a bold decision – they would strip Burbn down to become focused solely on photo-based sharing. Rather than tack these features onto an already crowded app, they rebuilt their platform from scratch to focus entirely on elegant photo sharing and editing.
By keeping things simple and refined, they hoped to make mobile photography more accessible. Combining "instant" with "telegram", they settled on the name Instagram to reflect the apps focus on instant photo sharing communication.
This pivot proved fateful, as the rebuilt Instagram featured exactly what mainstream users wanted from mobile photo tools. The stripped-down app provided an intuitive and delightful way for anyone to capture, customize and share their life in photos.
Section 2: Explosive Early Growth
On October 6, 2010, Instagram officially launched exclusively on iOS. It only took a single day for over 25,000 eager users to download it.
