What Does Instagram DM Mean?

Instagram is one of the most popular social network platforms in the world. It first became available exclusively on IOS devices in October 2010 and Android 18 months later in April 2012.

By that time, Instagram would be snatched up for a tidy sum of $1 billion by Facebook, which was scheduled to go public a month later. Instagram started as a platform for sharing photos and special moments with friends. They could comment on photos and leave emotes, but chatting wasn’t a part of this social network.

Instagram Direct – Chatting Made Possible

The idea behind Instagram was great, and the world quickly caught on. Under Facebook, the platform underwent some major changes that improved user experience. Guided by the examples of other social platforms, the Instagram Direct messaging feature was rolled out in 2013.

Users could finally contact each other via chat, changing how this network worked from the ground up. The option made it possible to trade goods and services easily, so Instagram quickly became the go-to media for marketing purposes.

Direct Messaging has drastically improved the popularity of this social media platform. Users finally got to chat and share photos and videos with each other directly, without having to switch to another platform. That made a significant impact on communication, and since Instagram started as a platform for sharing messages, people quickly saw it as an ideal way of getting their message to as many people as possible.

Direct messaging on Instagram received some significant improvements in the following years. It was clear that all social media platforms were starting to blend in with one another. The features that worked for some platform were copied by others, so direct messaging, stories, and disappearing messages have become a part of many different platforms.

The Evolution of Instagram Direct Messaging

After making it possible to directly message other users on Instagram in 2013, it was clear that the option needed a lot of improvements. You could only chat, but sharing links, videos and photos was still impossible at the time.

The first major update came in September of 2015. Instagram added conversation threading and finally made it possible to share hashtags, profiles, and locations with your followers. That was a massive step-up for Instagram, as it attracted millions of new users.

There was still room for improvements though. In November of 2016, the secret chat option was rolled out. That was first seen on Snapchat, but as mentioned, you’re never the only one for long in social media, unless you got it totally wrong. If someone took a screenshot of the messages before they deleted themselves, the user who sent them would get a notification that his or her message was recorded.

The last major update was in April of 2017 when the chat option on Instagram was finally complete. The last update made it possible to share website links in direct messages.

How to Message Other Users Directly?

Before 2016, using Instagram Direct messaging was a bit confusing. After getting a lot of user feedback, the platform was able to completely redesign its messaging options, giving it the look of today. If you want to send messages on Instagram, this is how to do it:

Step 1: Tap the top-right corner of your Feed

Step 2: Tap the top-right corner

Step 3: Select the people you want to send the message to and tap Next

Step 4: Type your text, select a photo or video from your gallery, or just take a new one by tapping the screen

Step 5: Add additional effects, captions, or filters

Step 6: Tap Send

The Benefits of Using Instagram Direct Messaging

Messaging other people is almost the same on any social media or chat app. However, the Instagram DM system has a couple of essential benefits that attract more users all the time.

The main reason why many users are switching from WhatsApp and Facebook to Instagram is the self-deleting messaging. That means that your messages remain hidden between you and the recipient. They automatically delete after viewing, so there’s no way for a third party to ever find out what the chat was about.

Conclusion

Instagram’s Direct Messaging option allows you to send and receive photos, videos, and messages safely and far away from all prying eyes. You can contact not only friends and family but also all kinds of businesses.

Instagram has evolved into one of the safest and easiest to use social network platforms. The hashtag option is especially useful when you want to contact a group with specific topics and interests. Try using Instagram DM, and you will see what we mean.