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Instagram started in October 2010 as a location-based app called Burbn, co-founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. It quickly pivoted to focus on photo-sharing with filters, a feature that led to rapid growth and the introduction of the Android version in April 2012. That same month, Facebook acquired Instagram for approximately $1 billion. Since then, the platform has evolved significantly, adding features like video sharing, private messaging, and live video, and has become a major social media and business tool. 

Early days and launchConcept: Systrom and Krieger initially developed a location-based app called Burbn.Pivot: They realized the photo-sharing component of Burbn was the most popular feature and decided to focus the app’s development on that aspect, renaming it Instagram. The name is a portmanteau of “instant camera” and “telegram”.Launch: The app officially launched for iOS on October 6, 2010, and gained 25,000 users on its first day.Growth: The unique combination of photo filters and social networking features drove rapid growth, reaching 10 million users by September 2011.Expansion: The first Android version was released in April 2012, expanding the user base significantly. Acquisition and evolutionFacebook acquisition: In April 2012, just 18 months after its launch, Facebook acquired Instagram for approximately $1 billion.Feature expansion: The platform continued to evolve beyond a simple photo-sharing app:Video sharing: Video was introduced in June 2013.Instagram Direct: Private messaging functionality was added in December 2013.Instagram Live: Live video broadcasting was launched in November 2016.User interface changes:Web profiles: A version of user profiles was launched on the web in November 2012.Non-square photos: The ability to upload non-square photos was added in August 2015.Algorithmic feed: The news feed changed from chronological to algorithmic in March 2016. Recent developmentsNew features: Instagram has continued to add new features, such as “Shops” for e-commerce and “Guides” for curated content.Two billion users: The platform reached over 2 billion monthly active users by late 2021.Meta Verified: In 2023, Meta introduced a paid verification subscription service called “Meta Verified”.