Learn What Instagram Users Should Know First

Understanding Instagram's Basic Features and How They Work

Instagram is a social media platform where people share photos, videos, and messages with others. Launched in 2010, it has grown to over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide. Before creating an account or spending time on the platform, you should understand what Instagram actually offers and how it functions as both a social network and a business tool.

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The core of Instagram revolves around your profile, which is like your personal page on the platform. Your profile contains your username, a profile picture, a biography section where you can write about yourself, and all the posts you've shared. Other users can visit your profile to see your content and decide whether to follow you. When someone follows you, your posts appear in their feed—a constant stream of content from all the accounts they follow.

Instagram offers several ways to share content. Regular posts are photos or videos you want to display permanently on your profile. Stories are temporary posts that disappear after 24 hours and appear at the top of followers' feeds. Reels are short video clips, usually 15 to 60 seconds long, that Instagram promotes heavily in its algorithm. Direct messages allow you to communicate privately with other users. Each feature serves different purposes, and understanding which to use when helps you communicate effectively on the platform.

The platform also uses an algorithm to decide what content appears in your feed. This algorithm considers your past behavior, such as which accounts you interact with most, what types of posts you like, and how long you spend viewing certain content. Instagram then prioritizes showing you posts from accounts and topics that match your interests. This means your feed will look different from everyone else's feed, even if you follow the same accounts.

Practical Takeaway: Spend time exploring Instagram's main features—posts, Stories, Reels, and direct messages—before deciding how you want to use the platform. Understanding what each feature does will help you choose which ones match your goals, whether that's connecting with friends, building a business presence, or following content that interests you.

Privacy Settings and Who Can See Your Information

One of the first things you should do after creating an Instagram account is review your privacy settings. These settings control who can see your profile, your posts, and your personal information. Instagram offers different levels of privacy, and choosing the right one depends on whether you want your account to be public or private and who you want interacting with your content.

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A public account means anyone on Instagram can find you, see your posts, and follow you without your permission. Your profile and posts appear in Instagram's explore page, search results, and hashtag feeds. This makes it easier for strangers to discover your content, which can help if you're trying to build an audience or establish a professional presence. However, it also means less control over who sees what you share.

A private account restricts who can see your content. When your account is private, people who want to follow you must send a follow request, and you can approve or deny it. Only your approved followers can see your posts and your follower list. Your profile won't appear in search results or explore pages as prominently. Private accounts are useful if you want to share content only with people you know and trust, such as friends and family.

Beyond public or private settings, you should review who can see your Stories, who can send you direct messages, and whether strangers can see your activity status (which shows when you were last active on the app). You can also control whether people can tag you in their posts and whether you can be suggested to others as someone to follow. Instagram also allows you to restrict specific people—they won't know they're restricted, but they won't see your content unless you've approved their follow request.

Another important privacy consideration is what information you share in your bio and posts. Avoid posting your phone number, home address, workplace address, or daily schedule where others can see it. This information could be used by people with bad intentions to locate you or contact you unsafely. Review your location tags on photos as well, since tagging specific places reveals where you were when you posted.

Practical Takeaway: Before sharing your first post, go into your settings and choose whether you want a public or private account based on your goals. Then review additional privacy controls for Stories, direct messages, and activity status. Remember that information you share publicly can be viewed and saved by anyone, so be thoughtful about what you post.

Recognizing Scams, Fake Accounts, and Misleading Content

Instagram is unfortunately home to many scams and fake accounts designed to trick users into giving away money or personal information. Learning to recognize these threats is one of the most important things you should do before engaging heavily on the platform. Scams on Instagram take many forms, but they typically follow similar patterns that you can learn to spot.

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One common scam involves fake accounts that impersonate celebrities, influencers, or popular brands. These accounts use the same or nearly identical names and profile pictures as the real accounts. They often comment on your posts or send you direct messages saying things like "We'd like to work with you" or "You've been selected for a partnership." They then ask you to click a link, provide personal information, or send money upfront. Real brand partnerships and job offers rarely happen through random Instagram messages from accounts you don't recognize. Before responding to any offer, verify it by checking the account's verification status (a blue checkmark means Instagram has confirmed it's real) and by going directly to the official website of the company to contact them.

Another frequent scam targets people interested in making money online. Scammers post about work-from-home jobs, investment opportunities, or ways to earn money on Instagram itself. They claim you can make hundreds or thousands of dollars quickly. Some ask you to pay a fee upfront to join their program or purchase materials. Others ask for personal information like your Social Security number or bank details under the pretense of paying you. Real job offers have interviews, don't require upfront payment, and come from verifiable companies. Be skeptical of any promise to make money with minimal effort or investment.

Romance scams also operate on Instagram. Someone creates a fake profile with attractive photos and starts messaging you. They build a relationship over weeks or months, then eventually ask for money, claiming they need it for an emergency, travel, or a business venture. They may even ask for gift cards or wire transfers. Red flags include someone who refuses to video chat, who quickly professes strong feelings for you, and who eventually asks for money. Remember that people you've only met online are still strangers, and genuine relationships don't involve requests for money.

Misleading content and misinformation are also widespread on Instagram. Posts may contain false health claims, incorrect political information, or exaggerated before-and-after photos promoting weight loss or beauty products. Influencers may fail to disclose that they're being paid to promote products, which is actually against Instagram's rules and laws in many countries. To evaluate what you see, check the source of information, look for credentials from the person posting, and search independently for fact-checks before believing or sharing what you see.

Practical Takeaway: Be cautious with unsolicited messages, offers that seem too good to be true, and accounts claiming to be celebrities or brands. Verify accounts through official checkmarks and direct website visits. Never send money to people you've only met online, and never share passwords, Social Security numbers, or banking information through Instagram.

How Instagram's Algorithm Works and What You Should Know

Instagram's algorithm is the system that decides what content appears in your feed and in the explore page. Understanding how it works can help you make better choices about how you use the platform and what you post. The algorithm is complex and constantly changing, but Instagram has shared some basic information about how it prioritizes content.

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The algorithm considers several factors when deciding what to show you. First, it looks at your interactions. This means it tracks which accounts you spend the most time viewing, which posts you like and comment on, and which accounts you send direct messages to. If you consistently interact with posts from a specific person, you'll see more of their content. Second, the algorithm looks at the content itself. If a post receives many likes and comments quickly after being posted, Instagram considers it engaging and shows it to more people. Posts that cause people to spend time watching videos or reading captions get more visibility. Third, Instagram considers timeliness. Newer posts generally get shown before older ones, though this isn't absolute.

The algorithm also personalizes based on your search and viewing history. If you search for posts about cooking, Instagram will show you more cooking-related content in your explore page and feed. If you watch long videos,