Social
Instagram hits 3 billion monthly users
The rocket fuel behind Instagram’s growth is clear: direct messages, Reels, and algorithmic recommendations.
Instagram just crossed a mind-bending milestone: 3 billion monthly users. Yes, billion with a “B.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced the news, marking a massive leap from the 1 billion users the app celebrated back in 2018.
For a platform once mocked as “that photo app,” it’s now firmly one of the biggest social networks on Earth, though these days, it’s more about Reels, recommendations, and endless DMs than artfully filtered brunch pics.
According to Mosseri, the rocket fuel behind Instagram’s growth is clear: direct messages, Reels, and algorithmic recommendations.
In a video update, he admitted the company will double down on those features over the next few months, even tweaking the app’s bottom navigation bar to prioritize DMs over posting.
It’s a sign of the times: Instagram wants to be where you chat and scroll, not just where you share vacation sunsets.
Of course, not everyone is thrilled. Longtime users have grumbled that Instagram feels more like
To calm the algorithm-angst, Mosseri teased a new topic-tuning feature that will let users tell Instagram what they don’t want to see.
If your favorite college football team is tanking and you’d rather not be reminded, you can boot that topic from your feed.
The milestone arrives as Meta fights antitrust battles over its Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions.
Internal emails from the trial reveal Zuckerberg’s private worries that Instagram’s rise has cannibalized Facebook’s cool factor, a problem that’s only grown as teens continue to abandon Facebook for trendier apps.
For now, Instagram wears the crown as Meta’s most culturally relevant product. Three billion users can’t be wrong, or maybe they’re just stuck scrolling through Reels they never asked for.
Does Instagram’s 3 billion user milestone represent genuine social connection, or has the platform’s shift toward algorithmic content and DMs made it less about authentic relationships and more about mindless consumption? Should we be concerned that Instagram is prioritizing features that keep users scrolling longer, or are these changes simply giving people what they actually want from social media? Tell us below in the comments, or reach us via our Twitter or Facebook.
