Instagram is now far more popular then Twitter

In just nine months, Facebook-owned Instagram has surpassed Twitter’s active user base by signing up an extra 100 million users. The image-sharing platform now boasts 400 million users in total.

With a little help from new celebrity sign-ups such as Caitlyn Jenner and David Beckham, Instagram’s latest figures puts it far ahead of Twitter as the micro-blogging network struggles to grow its current 316 million fans.

The 33% boost in users is helping Instagram increase its in-app advertising revenues too, with takings expected to reach $600 million before the year ends. And with new features such as targeted ads on the horizon, 2016 is expected to be even more lucrative with revenues of nearly $1.5 billion expected.

Is Instagram’s growth and Twitter’s slow down interlinked?

It would be easy to think that as one social network grows, another rival social platform would see its sign-up growth stumble.

This seems increasingly relevant for Instagram and Twitter as the former is entirely smartphone based, whilst Twitter sees the majority of its users access the site from handhelds as well.

But according to expert social analyst Ian Maude, that’s not the case.

He said: “I think the concerns over Twitter are more general… it’s not about Instagram.

“It’s about while its (Twitter’s) growth has stalled, other social media, other instant messaging and communications services and tools continue to grow and it’s being outgrown and outpaced and I think that is the worry.”

Instagram has added numerous new features recently that have greatly evolved its appeal, including powerful in-app messaging capabilities.

So just how big is Instagram going to become?

Well, according to eMarketer, in just two years time Instagram will enjoy higher net mobile display ad revenues than Twitter and even Google – and that’s saying something.