Who Owns Instagram?

Instagram is part of many people’s daily lives. Each users’ feed is filled with aesthetic photos and short captions. With Stories, IGTV, Reels, as well as the good old basic photo and caption, Instagram has a leg up on many social media platforms. 

Users see Instagram as a reprieve from the onslaught of opinions and information that other social media platforms have become famous for. Next to social media giant Facebook, Instagram appeals to people as a peaceful and typically conflict-free zone. 

Some users have even tried moving away from Facebook to solely enjoy the simplicity that this image-focused platform has to offer. However, for Instagram lovers, getting away from Facebook isn’t that easy. 

Discover the face behind Instagram to find out why.

The Face Behind Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms out there, with more than 1 billion users each month. The popularity of Instagram today is a far cry from what it was in 2012, when it only had 30 million users a month and employed just 13 people. 

While Instagram is commonly used around the world, many who regularly post on it are unaware of its deep ties to the top platform, Facebook. In 2012, as an up-and-coming social media platform, Instagram was shockingly purchased by Facebook for $1 billion. 

To many the move seemed to be incredibly risky, as Instagram had not yet lived up to its perceived potential. However, Facebook clearly knew the risk was one worth taking, and it has paid off immensely. 

Since the acquisition, Instagram has gone through countless updates and numerous new, popular features have been added. Many of these things have increased the platforms’ success, making it more enjoyable and creating greater usability. 

The Introduction of Instagram Stories

One feature that was added four years after the acquisition is Instagram Stories, making the platform competitive with Snapchat who already had a similar feature. Stories enables users to create temporary posts which disappear after 24-hours or can be saved to the users’ highlights on their profile page. 

Instagram Stories is used by 500 million people each day and has been a huge part of the surge in Instagram’s popularity as well as its value, which is currently around $100-billion. 

Recent additions such as IGTV and Reels have further increased the relevance and profitability of Instagram, making the platform a large part of Facebook’s overall value. 

The Instagram Privacy Policy 

The acquisition of Instagram has been lucrative for Facebook. Many users enjoy the wider features and usability that the platform has gained. However, there are some user frustrations that transferred over to Instagram along with the purchase. 

One of the top grievances people have with the platform is the privacy policy that Facebook implemented just months after acquiring it. This policy enables Facebook, under the banner of Instagram, to collect data and information from user profiles and anything else that people post.

While users tend to get frustrated that Instagram divulges their information to Facebook, it’s often without the understanding that it is owned by the social media giant. Anything that users share on Instagram, they are essentially sharing with Facebook as well.

Facebook Growth

After the successful purchase of Instagram, Facebook has continued to acquire companies, further increasing their value, their power, and the user information they receive. From Messenger, to WhatsApp, to Oculus, and more, Facebook is steadily growing stronger and increasing their value. 

This incredible growth, and the stand-alone strength that Instagram now wields, makes many people feel that it’s time for Facebook to part ways with the platform. Yet no matter how valuable and strong Instagram becomes, Facebook doesn’t appear ready to let the aesthetic platform go. For now, Facebook remains the face of Instagram.