Introduction Are you one of those who have heard a lot about Instagram but are struggling to entirely understand what the hype is all about? Have a seat, let’s figure this out together.  Here’s The Basics Is it just me, or is there a whole new shift in how people have decided to share their unique and exciting experiences with the world? Let’s give this a chronological thought, cave paintings, journal entries, and storybooks were some of the methods followed decades ago to store your memories.  Evolution soon took over and brought photos and videos into the world. This introduction created effortless but realistic access to moments that can be cherished for life. Let’s get to business now. Instagram as of 2020 is said to be used by 1 Billion people from around the globe. In all honesty, that’s quite a large number. What makes the app so captivating? Well, that’s just the power of the visual medium.  Instagram has been providing its users with a platform to share their favorite moments in the form of photos and videos. With the Billion users present, the app never runs out of content and gives you something fresh every time you decide to have a peek into the gram. That’s not all! The algorithms that the app runs specially crafts content that you might find interesting and relevant. It keeps track of your activity in the app to make it suitable for your likes.  Now, here’s the cherry on top of the cake, Instagram isn’t all about entertainment. Instagram Ads is a feature offered to businesses big or small to run their advertising campaigns on the app.  Instagram for Marketing and Instagram as entertainment makes it the best of both worlds.  Time to Move On Instagram is not an entire stranger now, I hope you got a brief idea of what the app is about. As we go further, here is a list of things that you would learn from this blog. How to get the appSetting up your profile Making new friends and messaging on the goHow the search worksUploading photos and videos Instagram for Business  How to Get the App This one is a bit of a no-brainer. But here we go, Instagram can be used from Android iOS and even your desktop.  Android users can download the app from the Play Store whereas iOS users can use the App Store for the same.  Desktop users need not download an app, they can enjoy this forum by simply typing “www.instagram.com”. However, you cannot upload photos or videos while accessing IG from the web. Nonetheless, you can go through the content and message your pals.  I’m assuming you all have opened the app on your phone, the next step is to set up your profile. Setting up your Profile Once you’ve downloaded the app, go ahead and click on the Instagram icon and wait for the app to open. You will be presented with a few options – ‘Login with Facebook’ or ‘Sign up with Email or Phone. You can choose your desired pick here and proceed further.  Note: Logging in with Facebook will make it easier to find your friends since the apps get linked together.  The next move from here is setting your Profile Picture, Username, and Password.  You can also add a brief description of yourself under the option ‘bio’ or even add a link on your profile that will redirect users to your website. The link feature is widely used by business profiles for marketing on Instagram. It is recommended to have a recognizable profile picture and username to be easily identified among the users.  Making New Friends and Messaging on the Go Once you’re signed up and ready to go, there’s a myriad of things that you can do on Instagram. The main highlights however are the opportunities you are given to meet new people and inculcate new interests.  There are so many content creators and influencers on Instagram from whom you can learn a great deal from. All you have to do is click on the sign that looks like a magnifying glass and type in anything that interests you.  For example, if you’re into music, typing “#acoustics” will give you suggestions for some good music.  You can also type in a person’s name and find him/her on IG if they’re registered users. Once you’ve found them, send them a follow request. You can interact with them and their posts soon after they accept your follow request Messaging on the other hand is simple, click on ‘Facebook’s Messenger symbol’ on the top right corner. Enter a name in the ‘Search Box’, choose from the options displayed, and message away.  How the Search Works Remember we spoke about how the content on Instagram is uniquely tailored to appeal to your interests through algorithms? It all starts with the variety of your searches obtained from your search box’s searching pattern. This way, Instagram understands what you truly are passionate about and brings it in front of your eyes.  I’m sure we’re a little more familiar with the app than before. Let’s move to the bigger things now.  Uploading Photos and Videos According to your moods and necessities, Instagram offers you a variety of platforms where you can post your photos and videos.  Let’s quickly look at the different types of post formats that are on Instagram along with recommended specifications for IG.  Posting in News-Feed This is sort of the most used posting method. Photos you upload here will be visible on your follower’s news feed as they’re scrolling down through the app.  The photos you post here will be displayed on your profile, so you can post images that make your feed look aesthetic. To upload a photo/video:- Click on the ‘+’ sign and choose from “Gallery”, “Photo”, “Video”.Choose the file you want to upload.Add a suitable filter and edit the brightness and contrast of the same.Click on NextYou can share the images on other networks by