Ever since the world was struck by the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been posting less on older social media platforms, like Instagram or Facebook, and more on newer apps like TikTok. However, there are still reasons to believe that Instagram will sustain this rough patch.

Instagram will remain one of the top competitors in social media because it combines all of the most popular app features people enjoy into one, like stories, messenger and picture posting.

Not only does Instagram allow users to post photos of themselves and edit the images with the best filters, users can also upload short videos with the stories feature that acts like Snapchat where the video typically lasts about a day.

There’s another short video feature called ‘Reels,’ which is more similar to TikTok where the video can be liked, commented on and shared.

Instagram also helps businesses and organizations form a better connection with the public and is a great way for people to network in their industries.

The app has its own direct messenger, through which users can communicate with others and create group chats for conversations that involve more than two people.

A business or community can establish a better bond with its target markets or groups of people it’s trying to reach out to through the app.

The business or organization can showcase its characteristics by creating a profile with a biography that explains what they do, posts that advertise their products and services and a chance to promote itself by using the tools and resources from the professional dashboard.

The tools on the professional dashboard monitor the performance of the business and provide charts to give a better visual, offer insights, set up a virtual shop and give advice on how to stay up to date on everything that’s happening in the industry.

A business’ or institution’s profile on Instagram also allows anyone to message them if they have any questions.

Networking on Instagram within specific industries is also a lot more convenient and safer. Users can determine the legitimacy of the individuals they’re trying to contact by checking out the posts and stories, reading the biographies and clicking on links to their websites if they’re available.

Users have the option to direct message them or leave comments on posts to get their attention.

It feels more secure to meet and greet on Instagram because almost no personal information is exchanged and there’s always the option to block or restrict the user if anything goes out of hand.

Users can also determine whether they want to reach out to these professionals by examining the work they display on their profile pages.

Even though a lot more people have been using TikTok since the COVID-19 pandemic began because it is easy to make fun videos and possibly go viral, there are other apps, like Hive Social, that copy its format.

Nonetheless, Instagram will have a firm grip on its market for a very long time. The app has garnered a lot of success and supporters — it reeled in $20 billion in advertising revenue as of 2019, according to Business of Apps.

This alone makes Instagram irreplaceable.

Many users will continue to support Instagram to the very end because it has helped them form great professional relationships and friendships.