When Instagram launched in 2010, users carefully sifted through their images to curate their Instagram accounts.
By 2015, Instagram had such a hold on society that the app started shaping reality, with users curating their lives and businesses to produce better content.
Coffee shops started developing an “Instagrammable” aesthetic. The app influenced how book covers were designed and what foods chefs put on their menus. By 2018, American cities featured pop-up “museums” organized around themes like color and candy, with the primary purpose of having users post photos to their Instagram accounts.
By the end of 2019, Instagram started giving users more analytics on their posts and performance, thoroughly blurring the line between person and brand. Sarah Frier, a tech reporter for Bloomberg News, traces Instagram’s short but profound history, including its notorious acquisition by Facebook. Check out the most fascinating highlights in our Instaread on No Filter.
