Mark Zuckerberg Shares ‘Fun Milestone Update’ As Instagram Hits 3 Billion Active Monthly Users

Instagram has achieved the milestone of three billion monthly active users, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. According to The Verge, it reportedly achieved two billion monthly users in December 2021.

In a post on Meta-owned Threads, Zuckerberg wrote, “Fun milestone update for anyone keeping count: Instagram now has 3 billion monthly actives!”

As per TechCrunch, Instagram had achieved one billion monthly active users in 2018. 

Instagram head Adam Mosseri said messaging, reels and recommendations have been vital factors fuelling the platform’s growth in recent times. The future development of the app will also revolve around these features.

“Messaging, reels, and recommendations have driven most of our recent growth. So, over the next few months, we’re going to better organise the app around those features,” he wrote on Instagram.

Soon, Instagram users will be able to tweak how the app picks out posts for Reels, Mosseri shared. And if all goes well, this handy tool could show up on other feeds, giving everyone more say over what pops up in their timelines.

“We’ll soon start testing a way for you to tune your algorithm by adding and removing topics based on your interests, starting with reels. We hope this will be a meaningful new way to shape what you see,” he said. 

Instagram’s focus on bite-sized videos and suggested posts from accounts not followed by users has helped boost the platform’s popularity. However, as per TechCrunch, these shifts have left some users feeling dissatisfied, especially those who would prefer to view photos and updates from friends or people they already follow.

Mosseri revealed that with the new feature, users will be able to select which topics the app should prioritise based on their interests.

According to TechCrunch, Meta is currently dealing with legal battles over accusations that its takeovers of WhatsApp and Instagram were anti-competitive. Recent court proceedings have brought to light internal emails exposing the friction between Facebook and Instagram during that period.

Instagram has become more influential in popular culture than Facebook, a shift that Meta has greatly benefited from. However, Zuckerberg has voiced concerns that Instagram’s growth may be accelerating Facebook’s fall in usage. With Facebook losing favour among younger audiences, Meta has spent recent years working on ways to restore its appeal and make the platform attractive once again, as per TechCrunch.