Instagram has something to shout about this holiday season, as the photo-sharing service announced a milestone 300 million users.
The image-centric social network has grown into a global community that shares more than 70 million photos and videos every day as a portal for users to share things like the beauty of the Nile River and the everyday silliness of Taylor Swift.
Instagram has even surpassed popular microblogging site Twitter, which claims 284 million monthly users, according to the BBC. Facebook, which itself has a whopping 1.35 billion users, bought Instagram in 2012.
The photo-sharing service reached more than 200 million active users in March—almost exactly 13 months after announcing its first 100 million users. Despite competition from various filtered-photo apps, Instagram appears to now be growing at an even faster pace.
"We're thrilled to watch this community thrive and witness the amazing connections people make over shared passions and journeys," CEO Kevin Systrom said in a blog entry.
Those connections became even easier to make last month, when the company launched its account-highlighting People tab on the Explore page, and threw in a few search improvements.
As the service grows, so do its features, and Systrom on Wednesday announced the addition of verified badges for celebrities, athletes, and brands, making it easier for users to connect with authentic accounts.
The move, which mirrors Twitter's own verified-accounts function, will begin rolling out over the coming days.
Instagrammers can also rejoice over internal efforts to de-spam the service described by Systrom. The team has been deactivating fake accounts on an ongoing basis, but a new move to fully delete them—and therefore remove them from follower counts—could leave some folks with a dwindling list of followers.
"Most of you won't see any impact," Systrom promised. Those whose accounts will be affected will receive an in-app notification directing them to additional details.
For more, see PCMag's review of Instagram and the slideshow above. Also check out 11 Instagram Tips for the Photo Obsessed.