Social networking platform, known for its visual appeal, Instagram has crossed the 500-million mark. Part of the Facebook group, the network has more than 300 million Instagrammers using the platform every single day. According to Global Web Index (GWI) data, Instagram is also the fastest-growing social network.
Since mid-2014, membership levels have soared by 15 percentage points, with most of this growth seen in the last year alone. It should be recalled that this was also the time when Instagram opened itself for advertising globally, introducing new tools to enable advertising that was in line with the visual requirement of the site.
The youngest Internet users are driving this trajectory. GWI shows the number of Instagrammers in the age group of 16-24 years, has jumped since mid-2014 to 58 per cent. Importantly though, this growth transcends age groups, and even the number of older target groups (55-64 years) with an account is 2.5 times higher now than it was in mid-2014.
“Our community also continues to become even more global, with more than 80 per cent living outside of the US,” Instagram officials stated in a blog, adding, “Users have captured and shared the moments happening around them, and have formed incredibly varied and diverse communities. Whether an illustrator, a sneakerhead or an astronaut on the International Space Station, every photo and video shared helps bring people closer to friends, and interests broaden perspectives. We thank them for their creativity, openness and passion for sharing their worlds.”
Brand Buzz
A Visual Spin On HastagsTwitter has launched #Stickers, a photo-editing tool that allows users to choose from hundreds of accessories, emojis, and props and, stick them on photos they tweet. Any public Tweet containing a sticker is searchable and discoverable. Tapping on a sticker will bring up a new timeline of tweets from people around the world using the sticker. “By making stickers searchable like hashtags, we’re enabling the best of Twitter: making it easy for people to create conversations around events and experiences,” says Leslie Berland, CMO, Twitter.
Dig The Data
Major MilestoneWhatsApp voice calling feature has surpassed 100 million calls per day. The Facebook-owned messaging application introduced voice calling for Android in February 2015, adding it to iOS that April. WhatsApp in a blog said, “Today, more than 100 million voice calls are made every day on WhatsApp — that’s over 1,100 calls per second!”
Why They Share According to Fractl that surveyed 2,000 Facebook users, 48 per cent said they shared content to entertain friends, while 17 per cent shared to express themselves on issues they cared about. Only 11 per cent said they preferred to share something because it was useful.
LEADERAnand Mahindra
@anandmahindra
Chairman, Mahindra Group
“The post-Brexit negotiations are an opportunity to design a more practical global template for common markets & travel access”
Kunal Bahl
@1kunalbahl
CEO, Snapdeal
“Youth of Britain have clearly moved on from the imperialist tendencies of those who still reminisce about the Empire”
