Instagram, the popular social media photo-sharing site has added a new feature. Instagram’s 150 million users around the world will now be able to share photos privately as messages to other Instagram users.
According to Instagram, “There are, however, moments in our lives that we want to share, but that will be the most relevant only to a smaller group of people—an inside joke between friends captured on the go, a special family moment or even just one more photo of your new puppy.”
Users will now notice a new icon in the top right corner of their feed for their new inbox. Photos or videos sent to you as a private message will appear there.
To send a photo or video to a specific person or group of people, take the shot as usual, then choose the Direct option
Then select the recipients of your photo message.
Photos and videos from people you follow will immediately appear in your inbox. Messages from those you don’t follow will go to your requests and you can choose whether or not you wish to view them.
The private messages could be see as a way for Instagram to compete with Snapchat, a popular service for sending private photo messages.
~ Cynthia