Instagram is a social media platform owned by Meta that emphasizes visual content sharing, allowing users to post photos and videos and engage with a global community through likes, comments, and direct messaging. 

Instagram can be researched for OSINT purposes by analyzing publicly available information such as user profiles, posts, comments, and interactions. Researchers can track trends, identify influencers, and gather insights into user behaviors and interests. Tools like geotagging and hashtag analysis can also provide valuable geographic and thematic data, aiding in understanding social movements, events, and cultural trends. 

Researching Instagram without an account has limitations because many features are restricted to logged-in users. Without an account, accessing detailed user profiles is not possible. Public content can still be viewed to some extent, but interactions such as likes and comments are limited. 

Recently, like Facebook, Instagram has integrated AI into its search capabilities to enhance user experience through more personalized and relevant search results. More on this later on in the guide.  

Instagram provides general help and support information on their Help Center page, which covers various aspects of using the platform, including search functionalities. You can explore their Help Center for more detailed guidance: https://help.instagram.com/140491076362332/?helpref=search&query=searching&search_session_id=9ffe5f1027eb5bfe16543300c135f697&sr=0  

To sign up for Instagram, visit their official website or download the mobile app, then follow the prompts to create an account using your email address or phone number: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/emailsignup/  

However, we should caution that like the previous platforms we examined, creating a fake account on Instagram violates their Terms of Service, which require users to provide accurate information about themselves. Here is the link to Instagram’s Terms of Service: https://help.instagram.com/478745558852511  

Instagram’s privacy policy explains how user information is collected, used, and protected to improve services and personalize experiences. It also outlines how data is shared with third parties and the options available to users regarding their privacy settings: https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/?entry_point=ig_help_center_data_policy_redirect