How does Instagram work: a little introduction

The social media channel Instagram is becoming more and more popular and almost everyone is more or less active on the photo and video sharing platform. We explain how Instagram works and the first important steps with the app.

The social media app Instagram

• Instagram is a photo and video-heavy social network. With the app for Android and iOS, you can take pictures and videos from your smartphone, edit them with filters and then upload them to the network to share them with your friends.
• The app was created in 2010, grew rapidly and was finally bought by Facebook in early 2012 for around $ 1 billion. The number of users is now over 300 million.
• The network relies almost exclusively on the apps for the smartphone. Access in the conventional browser on the home PC is only possible with very restricted functions.
• In the Windows 10 operating system, however, you can also download Instagram as an app and use almost all the functions there as with the mobile app.

Load the app and start immediately

• After downloading, you have to create a profile - optionally with some information and a profile photo. The app is clearly laid out: in addition to the central photo function, you can view the photos of all subscribed contacts in the central, constant stream.
• Find friends and follow them. You can also search for special tags and terms. You can get regular updates on topics such as "sunset" or e.g. B. also "beach".
• Upload photos yourself and collect followers. Be creative. Use the easy-to-set filters for the photos and videos. B. Your party photo for the nostalgic Polaroid print. You can also place a frame around the image and edit it in numerous other ways.
• You can also link the app to other social media channels such as Facebook and post your photos there too - directly via the Instagram app.

New features from Instagram

The Instagram developers regularly publish new functions for the app. Here you will find the latest innovations:

• IGTV previews in the feed : In order to get a first impression of a video without switching to IGTV (Instagram TV), a preview of the IGTV videos is now displayed in the feed.
• Voice messages in the direct messages : As has been possible for a long time with Whatsapp, voice messages can now also be sent on the direct messages on Instagram. To do this, press and hold the microphone symbol for the entire length of the message.
• Share stories with close friends : The "Close Friends List" has been on Instagram for a while. What is new, however, is that certain stories can now only be shared with the friends in this list. You can tell whether you are viewing a story that has only been released for a "Close Friends List" by a green symbol or green ring around the person's profile picture.
• Share Netflix series in stories : If you use Netflix via the iOs app, you can now share series and films directly in the Insta story. So you can give your friends tips for good series and films. If the one who sees the story has also installed the Netflix app, they can go directly to the respective series or film via the "Watch" button.
• Shopping cart : The shopping function on Instagram has been around for a year now. What is new, however, is the personal shopping cart on Instagram, in which you can "collect" products from shopping posts directly within the app.
• Nametags : Friends can now easily be added via nametags. The tags are simply scanned and make it easier to find and add accounts.
• GIFs in Direct Messages : Another function that has long been available in other messenger apps is the sending of GIFs in direct messages. To do this, tap the GIF button in a direct message and look for the desired GIF in the GIPHY database to send it.
• Shopping in the stories : Recently there is also the possibility to add shopping options in the stories. Until now, this was only possible in the feed.
• Music in Instagram stories : In the Instagram stories there is now a music sticker with which you can give background music or a soundtrack to your story. The story then shows the title of the song and the name of the artist.
• " Focus filter ": When you take a picture and select the "Focus" filter, it automatically detects faces in the image and focuses them. The background is blurred. This creates a depth of field effect.
• "Last online" function : The direct messages now show when the conversation partner was last online. This function is automatically activated, if you want to turn it off, you have to deactivate the switch at "Show activity status".

In the next practical tip, we will show you how to make money with Instagram.