When Facebook bought the photo-sharing app Instagram for $1 Billion, it left many curious as to why would it spent that kind of money on an app which was not performing well. But the answer is Facebook wanted to perform well in the world of mobile, and the key to this was acquisition of Instagram. Facebook was clear about its intent that it would let Instagram operate independently and not integrate it in to the parent app. However in the following years Instagram emerged as a possible competition to Facebook itself!
Statistics of Usage:
The research firm emarketer observed that Facebook lost close to 2.8 million users aged under 25 year in the year 2017. This was the first time that the social media giant faced such a dip in users. Reports suggest that this decline is not expected to improve anytime soon as well. On the other hand Instagram has seen an upward trend. From 600 million users in 2016 it reached 800 million users in 2017. A lot of experts are even predicting that at this pace Instagram will overtake Facebook by 2020.
Mobile Friendly App:
Since Instagram is available in an app only format, it has taken mobile friendliness to a different level. Ease-of-use of the app is pretty much the reason why people are onboarding Instragram. It offers a great user experience and interface to its users.
Integration of Stories Feature
Though Snapchat was the pioneer in introducing the Stories feature, Instagram replicated it and used it in a successful manner. While Facebook also introduced Stories feature in its layout it was not successful in implementing it in the right manner. Interestingly Instagram was able to beat Snapchat in its own game.
Integrating E-commerce
Facebook was the first social media platform which successfully integrated e-commerce in its platform and the massive user base worked in its favor. But as the advertiser content started to grow, users’ timelines became more of an advertorial section rather than updates from friends and family. Facebook then tweaked the algorithm to improve the quality of time a user spends on Facebook by restricting advertised content in the newsfeed of users thus limiting the reach of content. However Instagram seamlessly integrates e-commerce without affecting the user experience. The in-app payment feature is revolutionary and Instgram has mastered the art of selling online.
User Experience on Instagram
It has been observed that the community on Instagram is more sophisticated than on Facebook. While Facebook hasn’t been much successful in controlling online bullying and trolling, Instagram’s design and features have restricted certain elements from disrupting the its amazing vibe. The platform has more positivity compared to Facebook.
Verdict
So the final verdict is that Instagram has a better user experience than Facebook and appeals more to the younger generation. While Facebook gets a whopping 2.20 billion active monthly users, it is still too big for Instagram which is at 800 million monthly users to currently pose a threat. However the future of Instagram looks very bright.
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