Instagram has enjoyed a massive surge in the United States, the latest stats from eMarketer show.
In 2013, the photo platform thrived under Facebook's umbrella, seeing a spike of 35% in US-based users. And while the growth has slowed, it still remains healthy: there was a 34.7% increase in users last year alone.
In the coming years, the growth will slow - but the user base will still be close to doubling by 2016. That means that 1 in 4 smartphone users will be engaged with the brand in that year.
Instagram's user base is also maturing, bringing it on par with that of Twitter when it comes to regular usage - this statistic alone underscores how well the platform is doing when compared to Twitter, which is a standalone, public company working to capture the weight of the actual mainstream.
In fact, Instagram's user count has outpaced Twitter in 2013 on smarphones, according to eMarketer, and will continue to beat out the social network in the years to come.
This is especially important, as mobile is clearly the way most users will interact with the internet moving forward. And given that Facebook is now making over 50% of its revenue from mobile, Instagram could prove to be the most well spent $1 billion in the history of social networks.
Here's how the current and projected age breakdown of US Instagram pans out, showing (as far as raw percentages) the most growth in the 12-17 year old segment. This bodes well for Facebook, which is constantly struggling to prove continued relevance to this particular age group.
Also, the 18-44 demographic will be the core constituency of the platform through to 2016 - a solid sign for marketers looking to ensure that the desired customers will stay on the platform in the years to come.
NB: Photo spread courtesy Shuttertstock.