It seems Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) can't seem to stay out of the spotlight -- and not in a good way. Ever since the revelation that the company allowed user data to be exploited by the now defunct analysis firm Cambridge Analytica, things seem to have gone from bad to worse.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was forced to testify before Congress about the scandal, and just this week the company confirmed that it was being investigated by several U.S. government agencies for culpability amid allegations that the improper data use may have been more widespread than previously disclosed. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are among numerous regulatory bodies worldwide looking into the matter.

In spite of these recent events, one analyst thinks investors may be disregarding a massive potential growth driver for Facebook -- that of its photo- and video-sharing app, Instagram.

BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield has raised his price target on Facebook to $275, from its previous level at $175. Greenfield's target is the highest among his Wall Street brethren, one of only two analysts rating the stock that highly. In a note to clients, the analyst said he believes users "simply could not care less" about the privacy scandal, and "despite all the noise around Facebook, Instagram has become an absolute monster."

The analyst focused on three aspects of the Instagram story that he believes should make investors more bullish on the platform -- and on Facebook.

Greenfield pointed out that Instagram hosts over 1 billion users per day, and Stories is seeing rapid adoption, with over 400 million visitors on a daily basis. "We find it stunning that Instagram Stories in just two years since launch has become twice as large as Snapchat with monetization still in the early innings."

It's also notable that Facebook only acquired Instagram in 2012, and recently its user growth has been accelerating. As my colleague Evan Niu pointed out, "It took about five months to get from 700 million to 800 million [users], and nearly nine months to get from 800 million to 1 billion." That bodes well for the platform's continued growth.

Instagram has a history of success when it comes to introducing new functionality for its users. Greenfield points to the recent debut of Instagram TV (IGTV) long-form video service as an example of new products seeing adoption by users. "The innovation keeps accelerating at Instagram, with IGTV launched last month. Within 24 hours of launch our IGTV feed was filled with more content than we could possibly consume."

Other recently added features include stylized mentions and gif stickers, follow hashtags, and focus mode, which helps create the popular bokeh camera effect.

Greenfield also pointed out that Facebook has long sought to blur the line between content and advertising. "Worth noting that Facebook, since its earliest days as a public company, has talked about the goal of ads becoming content, which has actually happened on Instagram -- everyone loves the ads, allowing for greater ad load." The increased engagement also allows Facebook to charge more for each ad.

The analyst went on to gush about the quality of the advertising and the massive opportunity it created. "The ads are so good, in fact, that Instagram is quickly becoming the most powerful and valuable mall in the world where you not only browse, but can buy anything you see." Instagram has been adding a host of e-commerce options that allow users to makes purchases by clicking on a shopping bag icon within the app when a product is available for purchase. The ability to integrate e-commerce functionality taps into a growing trend worldwide, which will further enhance the experience for users and advertisers alike.

It's all about the Benjamins

Each of these points leads to one inescapable conclusion -- that Instagram will be Facebook's next massive growth opportunity, and Greenfield isn't the only one who thinks so. KeyBanc's Andy Hargreaves believes that Instagram could generate $8.9 billion in revenue this year, with that number growing to $22 billion by 2020, citing its "young and engaged audience."

Facebook's privacy scandal isn't going away anytime soon, but these analysts think investors should focus on the "monster" opportunity of Instagram. I think they're onto something.

10 stocks we like better than FacebookWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Facebook wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

Danny Vena owns shares of Facebook. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.</s>With an average of 80 million photos uploaded every single day, Instagram is one of the most popular online platforms for photo sharing. Image hashtags for some of the most picturesque seafronts, such as #bavarobeach and #dreamlandbeach, have enabled TravelSupermarket to uncover the most popular beaches for Instagram users. At No. 1 is Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, Australia.</s>It seems Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) can't seem to stay out of the spotlight -- and not in a good way. Ever since the revelation that the company allowed user data to be exploited by the now defunct analysis firm Cambridge Analytica, things seem to have gone from bad to worse.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was forced to testify before Congress about the scandal, and just this week the company confirmed that it was being investigated by several U.S. government agencies for culpability amid allegations that the improper data use may have been more widespread than previously disclosed. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are among numerous regulatory bodies worldwide looking into the matter.

In spite of these recent events, one analyst thinks investors may be disregarding a massive potential growth driver for Facebook -- that of its photo- and video-sharing app, Instagram.

BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield has raised his price target on Facebook to $275, from its previous level at $175. Greenfield's target is the highest among his Wall Street brethren, one of only two analysts rating the stock that highly. In a note to clients, the analyst said he believes users "simply could not care less" about the privacy scandal, and "despite all the noise around Facebook, Instagram has become an absolute monster."

The analyst focused on three aspects of the Instagram story that he believes should make investors more bullish on the platform -- and on Facebook.

Greenfield pointed out that Instagram hosts over 1 billion users per day, and Stories is seeing rapid adoption, with over 400 million visitors on a daily basis. "We find it stunning that Instagram Stories in just two years since launch has become twice as large as Snapchat with monetization still in the early innings."

It's also notable that Facebook only acquired Instagram in 2012, and recently its user growth has been accelerating. As my colleague Evan Niu pointed out, "It took about five months to get from 700 million to 800 million [users], and nearly nine months to get from 800 million to 1 billion." That bodes well for the platform's continued growth.

Instagram has a history of success when it comes to introducing new functionality for its users. Greenfield points to the recent debut of Instagram TV (IGTV) long-form video service as an example of new products seeing adoption by users. "The innovation keeps accelerating at Instagram, with IGTV launched last month. Within 24 hours of launch our IGTV feed was filled with more content than we could possibly consume."

Other recently added features include stylized mentions and gif stickers, follow hashtags, and focus mode, which helps create the popular bokeh camera effect.

Greenfield also pointed out that Facebook has long sought to blur the line between content and advertising. "Worth noting that Facebook, since its earliest days as a public company, has talked about the goal of ads becoming content, which has actually happened on Instagram -- everyone loves the ads, allowing for greater ad load." The increased engagement also allows Facebook to charge more for each ad.

The analyst went on to gush about the quality of the advertising and the massive opportunity it created. "The ads are so good, in fact, that Instagram is quickly becoming the most powerful and valuable mall in the world where you not only browse, but can buy anything you see." Instagram has been adding a host of e-commerce options that allow users to makes purchases by clicking on a shopping bag icon within the app when a product is available for purchase. The ability to integrate e-commerce functionality taps into a growing trend worldwide, which will further enhance the experience for users and advertisers alike.

It's all about the Benjamins

Each of these points leads to one inescapable conclusion -- that Instagram will be Facebook's next massive growth opportunity, and Greenfield isn't the only one who thinks so. KeyBanc's Andy Hargreaves believes that Instagram could generate $8.9 billion in revenue this year, with that number growing to $22 billion by 2020, citing its "young and engaged audience."

Facebook's privacy scandal isn't going away anytime soon, but these analysts think investors should focus on the "monster" opportunity of Instagram. I think they're onto something.

10 stocks we like better than FacebookWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Facebook wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

Danny Vena owns shares of Facebook. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.</s>This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Iran has arrested a number of people over videos that were posted on Instagram, including a young woman who filmed herself dancing to music.

According to activists, Maedeh Hojabri was one of a number of users behind popular Instagram accounts who have been arrested. The identities of the other detainees have not been confirmed.

Her account, which has been suspended, was reported to have had more than 600,000 followers.

Hojabri has since appeared on a state television programme with other detainees, in which she and others made what activists say were forced confessions, a tactic often used by Iranian authorities.

State TV showed a young woman, her face blurred, crying and shaking while describing her motivation for producing the videos.

“It wasn’t for attracting attention,” she said. “I had some followers and these videos were for them. I did not have any intention to encourage others doing the same … I didn’t work with a team, I received no training. I only do gymnastics.”

Little is known about Hojabri’s personal life, or which city in Iran she is from, but since her arrest her videos have been shared by hundreds of people, giving her a reach beyond her account.

They appear to have often been taken using a camera in her bedroom while she danced to western pop and rap music without wearing a hijab, which is required in public.

Negar (@NegarMortazavi) Teenage dancer, Maedeh Hojabri, was arrested in Iran. She used to record dance videos in her bedroom and upload them to her instagram with 600K followers.#مائده_هژبرى pic.twitter.com/3EDVR9veV3

In another video, she talked about the history of parkour, an outdoor sport popular in Iran, especially among women who practise it while wearing the headscarf.

Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) Her name is Maeade Mahi. Recently she got arrested just because of uploading her dancing videos on her Instagram. If you are a woman in Iran and you dance or sing or show your hair then you are a criminal. If you want to enjoy your true self, you have to brake the laws every day. pic.twitter.com/0eIq5ld5x6

Hossein Ronaghi, a blogger, said: “People would laugh at you if you tell anyone in the world that [in Iran] they arrest 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds for dancing, being happy and being beautiful, for spreading indecency, and instead paedophiles are free.”

Many people think authorities will ban Instagram, which remains one of the few unblocked western apps. Facebook and Twitter are filtered.

The head of Tehran’s cyber-police, Touraj Kazemi, said his forces were identifying and would take action against popular accounts on Instagram. In 2012, Iran sacked the head of its cyber-police after the blogger Sattar Beheshti died in custody.

In 2014, a group of Pharrell Williams fans arrested for filming themselves dancing to the song Happy on the rooftops of Tehran received suspended sentences of imprisonment and lashes.</s>Instagram continues to garner more attention from the masses as it adds new features quite regularly. Now, it's taken this a step further with the announcement of IGTV, which is aimed at luring serious content creators. IGTV is a new service that allows video content creators to upload videos longer than the typical 60-second duration or 15-second duration for Instagram "stories." Video creators can upload videos up to 10-minutes long. Let's take a look at ways to better optimize this feature for your work and self promotion.

Instagram is (in)famous for its use of the vertical video orientation. Sure, this is based on the primary way users hold their mobile devices, but I cringe at the thought of vertical video in a lot of instances, as it typically means someone is having to scale down typical horizontal orientation video to "fit" the vertical orientation. This leads to a loss of content in the original framing or stretching of the pixel, which reduces quality. Here's how you get over this new hurdle.

First, you can begin by filming in vertical orientation. It's pretty easy to film this way with your smartphone, but it will definitely take a mental adjustment to turn your mirrorless or DSLR camera to film in the vertical orientation. I've filmed with my DSLR vertically. If you have a ball head on your tripod, it's even easier to film this way. Video framerate has to be a minimum of 30 frames per second or higher.

SEE: Getting started with drone photography (free TechRepublic PDF)

Second, if you can't film vertically or want to convert existing footage, you can still utilize IGTV. Just create a sequence in your video editing software that complies with IGTV. I use Premiere Pro to set up different frame sizes for my sequences from HD to UHD to 4K and now I set up an IGTV template that has the correct settings. Make sure your sizing is set to 540 pixels wide and 960 pixels vertically. Now I know that pixel count sounds low. It's okay. If you are shooting in HD format or higher, your scaled down footage will easily work within the IGTV frame size. The key is the aspect ratio being 9:16 instead of 16:9. Once the sequence has been created, just scale your footage to fit. Your video quality will look a lot better in the 540x960 resolution container versus the 1080x1920.

After you've gone through your color correction and added effects for your video, just export it and pass the file over to your mobile device. You can use a cloud sync service such as Google Drive or even Apple AirDrop to get the file over to your device. Finally, upload the file to your IGTV channel via the mobile app and let it run across the airways. Pretty easy, right?

Have you jumped on the IGTV train? I'm on the fence about the service, and I don't know if the content I create is ideal for my Instagram audience. When I do shoot for IGTV, I try to share more of a behind-the-scenes view of my content creation process, since most of my videos and vlogs are long-form and a better fit for my YouTube audience. What are your thoughts on IGTV? Share your opinions with fellow TechRepublic members and be sure to tag me on Twitter with your videos.
• How Adobe proved me wrong about AI in photography (TechRepubic)
• How to create a hyperlapse video with your drone (TechRepublic)</s>Everyone likes adding a story to their Instagram profile. With your Instagram story, you would be able to tell your friends and followers the recent happenings in your life. In fact, it is due to this reason; the Story feature of Instagram is the most loved feature of the platform. Instagram has recently rolled out many features in the app. And one of them includes the freedom to add music to the Instagram stories.

Many users wonder how to add music to Instagram Stories, today we will discuss that. Our short and simple guide will help you in adding music to your Instagram stories, which in turn will make your stories more engaging and compelling for your viewers. So, let’s begin.

How to add music to Instagram Stories?

You must have seen many Instagrammers who use a different kind of music in their stories. If you are wondering how they add music to their stories, then you are in the right place. For adding music to Instagram stories, all you need to do is follow the steps given below.

1. Open a music app on your smartphone. Select the song that you want to use in your Instagram story.

2. Choose the part of the song that you want to play in the story with the help of the time bar and then tap on pause. If you want the perfect timing, try to pause the song 2 seconds before the actual point.

3. Open your Instagram app and tap on the camera icon placed in the upper left section of the app. The camera will open up the page for stories.

4. Swipe up the bottom part of the screen, and this will bring the Control Center of the app in the display. Swipe left to open the music that you want to add in your story and then tap Play.

5. Close Control Center quickly and then start recording your video in the app itself.

6. For including the video in the Instagram story, tap on the plus icon.

By completing step number six, you would be successfully able to add music to your Instagram story. You need to take proper care of the placement of your finger. You are trying to record music for your story, and therefore, your hands shouldn’t be covering any of the speakers in any way.

The song that you are going to select for your Instagram story should match with the video that you are sharing. There should be some kind of connection between your video and the song.

Follow the guide given below to add music to Instagram stories and take your follows to a pleasant visual world.</s>Along with hunger, fear and love, visual stimulation is deeply embedded in the human experience. Ninety percent of all information is transmitted visually, with the human brain processing an entire image after viewing it for as little as 13 milliseconds. Social media platforms have tapped into this primal inclination with tremendous success.

Unique among them, Instagram has quickly proven to be one of the most influential forces in content-driven marketing today. The image-based app is known for having amplified engagement rates over other social media networks.

Instagram success comes with quite a daunting caveat: You must stand out on a platform with 800 million active users who “like” 4.2 billion posts daily. Luckily, there are ways your brand can cut through the noise. Here are five ways to build a passionate Instagram following that sequentially leads to increased revenue.

Your Instagram strategy is what separates posting for profit from just crowdsourcing self-esteem. To be effective, your plan needs to define your target audience and outline a clear direction for content.

Creating content that resonates with your followers is the result of a well-defined buyer persona. When you internalize your ideal customers’ demographics, behaviors, concerns, motivations and goals, you can tailor your message to attract them. Doing so ensures your image and message will evoke curiosity, incite action and humanize your company, all of which will expand your base of regular followers and set the baseline for your overall strategy.

Instagram tactics might target several of the following objectives: increase brand awareness, build customer loyalty, enhance and complement event experiences or drive sales. By defining your goals, you’ll be able to determine the best approach for each step.</s>Instagram may be late to the long format video party, but it is poised to make up lost ground rather quickly. With the long format content (of over 20 minutes) making up more than 50% of time watched on smartphones, and completion rates on mobile almost similar to tablets, at 56.6% (as per Ooyala Global Video Index), investing in the digital video business is lucrative.

Experts say Instagram’s long format video offering IGTV is set to disrupt the ecosystem further. Currently, the plans include uploading and viewing of user-generated content only. However, according to a Wavemaker report, “Eventually, the company aims to bring terrestrial TV content, such as reruns of popular shows or even freshly commissioned shows to its platform in due course.” This move could put IGTV in competition with subscription video on demand (SVOD) content services such as Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video, in addition to its biggest rival YouTube.

“We should expect native Instagram influencers to quickly adapt, but expecting the mainstream content ecosystem in India to start moving to the vertical format is a long shot when all OTT and video platforms are still working with the horizontal format,” says Shekhar Banerjee, managing partner, Wavemaker India.

“How long format videos perform on a social platform is up for discussion. Facebook Watch didn’t crack the code. Long format demands a more immersive experience,” says Monika Shergill, EVP and

 content head, Viacom18 Digital Ventures.

However, the demography which social platforms like IGTV cater to and the functionality it brings to table cannot be ignored. IGTV can play a key role in two areas. The first would be interactive long format content which currently SVOD players are not into as they are focussed on premium content meant for passive viewing. The second is brand storytelling, as a social platform can allow for it. “If IGTV does this, it could be a new trend,” opines Shergill.

So far, SVOD players leverage Instagram for discovery, promotion and as a hunting ground for new consumers.

Manav Sethi, chief marketing officer, ALTBalaji, says he doesn’t see any dent on the SVOD market but IGTV can bring in more users into the fold. “Social is a discovery platform. It will bring in new consumers who will talk about it and drive long-tail communication outside the platform,” he says.

But in the end, all platforms vie for one thing — the consumer’s time. But on a social platform, the average length of content consumed is 10-30 minutes. This is where IGTV may compete with other platforms like SVOD or YouTube.

“Drop rates are higher if the content duration is more than 30 minutes. For social, most content creators are investing in content which is not more then 20-30 minutes long,” says Shrenik Gandhi, CEO and co-founder, White Rivers Media.

However, the largest piece currently missing from IGTV’s agenda is monetisation. “YouTube has become a hub of all videos, as opposed to IGTV, which is focussed on recommendations and content creators. Its recommendation engine seems quite strong,” says Pooja Gururaj, lead channel and social media, VML India. Not to forget, YouTube’s monetisation model and relationships with content creators is its advantage. But how things pan out, is anyone’s guess.
Iranian police arrest a number of users for posting illegal content on Instagram, including a famous blogger named Maedeh Hojabri.