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Nick Arnott

January 6, 2025 • 5 minutes

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The Tricky One

The trickiest question during December was: Which app was downloaded the most during 2023?

Just 7.5% of Quizified players correctly identified the correct answer as Instagram with the majority (64%) thinking it was TikTok and a significant 26% believing it to be Temu. TikTok was in fact the most downloaded app from 2020-2022 but Instagram nabbed the top spot in 2023.

A Brief History of Apps
The Apple App Store debuted in July 2008, with only 500 apps available to download. Google Play (formerly Android Market) launched later that year, expanding the app revolution to a wider audience. By 2023, there were over 7 million apps combined on the App Store and Google Play, catering to every imaginable need, from entertainment to productivity.

The Rise of the Word "App"
In 2010, the word “app” was crowned Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society, solidifying its place in modern culture. Short for “application”, the term became synonymous with the incredible rise of mobile technology. The ability to say “there’s an app for that” reflected how integral apps had become in everyday life.

Instagram: A Star in the App Universe
Founded in 2010, Instagram, created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, launched as a simple photo-sharing platform. Within two months, it had gained 1 million users, thanks to its innovative filters and user-friendly design. Instagram was acquired by Meta (Facebook at the time) for $1 billion in 2012, a move that transformed it into a global giant. Today, Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users.

Fun Fact
Instagram’s original name was “Burbn”, inspired by Kevin Systrom’s love of whiskey. It was rebranded to “Instagram”, a blend of “instant camera” and “telegram”, to reflect its focus on visual storytelling.

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