Instagram makes the complicated art of photography accessible for anyone. With just a few taps of your phone screen, you can capture everyday moments, dress them up with a cool filter, and share them with the world. While you'll find all kinds of content on Instagram, are you ever curious which accounts are the most popular?
Let's examine the top ten most-followed accounts on Instagram, what makes their profiles irresistible, and whether each of them are worth following. You might want to keep up with these folks, or maybe just need inspiration to make your own posts better.
10. Justin Bieber
Followers: 91.7 million | Following: 70
We begin with a love-him-or-hate-him star of the music industry. It's certainly no stretch to say Justin Bieber is an accomplished musician. He's one of the best-selling artists of all time, and is also the second most-followed account on Twitter after Katy Perry. On the flip side, his music video for "Baby" is still the most-disliked YouTube video of all time.
Bieber's Instagram feed is pretty active. His recent photos are mainly pictures of himself along with tons of snapshots of fans wearing his new merchandise. There aren't any particularly interesting feats of photography to see here.
Should You Follow? Anyone who likes seeing endless pictures of Justin Bieber (teenage girls) will be in heaven with this page. If you don't care about Bieber's music or face, there's not much to enjoy here.
9. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Followers: 93.8 million | Following: 174
The only actor in the Instagram hall of fame, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was first a highly successful professional wrestler. On the silver screen, he's known for starring in The Fast and the Furious series. He's even starred in a few kids' movies and will be in the upcoming sequel to Jumanji.
The Rock's Instagram feed is pretty dynamic. He often uses Instagram's video feature to interact and speak directly with his viewers. Recently, his page has included clips from his projects and brief videos about current events.
Should You Follow? Unless you hate Dwayne Johnson, movies and wrestling, The Rock's account is worth following. He seems like a great guy and his page is fun.
8. Kylie Jenner
Followers: 97.6 million | Following: 160
The youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner crew, Kylie is famous for being famous. Along with the rest of her family, she appeared in the reality TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which is somehow still on TV. This propelled her onto many spin-off shows, along with some modeling work and lines of cosmetics and accessories with her sister Kendall.
Jenner's popular Instagram feed contains mostly pictures of herself, along with some promotion for her cosmetic products. Many of her selfies include her wearing swimsuits, workout gear, and other such sexy attire, no doubt bringing many men into her follower count.
Should You Follow? If the Kardashians don't make you ill and you want to see pictures of Kylie Jenner all the time, this is the place for you.
7. Kim Kardashian
Followers: 103 million | Following: 113
Kim Kardashian is another whose fame defies logic. She first attracted attention via association with Paris Hilton. In 2007, a sex tape of her and rapper Ray J leaked, and later that year Keeping Up debuted. Ever since, the public has inexplicably obsessed over her every move, including her current marriage to rapper Kanye West.
Her Instagram page, to nobody's surprise, is mainly filled with pictures of her well-known voluptuous figure. She also occasionally shares pictures of cats, the sky, and other Instagram staples.
Should You Follow? Is Keeping Up with the Kardashians not enough Kim for you? If so, you definitely need to follow her on Instagram.
6. Taylor Swift
Followers: 103 million | Following: 0
Another musical superstar that needs no introduction, Taylor Swift got her start with country music and has since moved to more of a pop sound. Her songs, often focused on her own life and relationships, have been lauded from every album. She holds several records for being the youngest person to accomplish a musical feat, such as winning Album of the Year.
Her Instagram page is currently in an interesting state, though. In August 2017, she deleted all of her pictures to bring attention to her new album and its first single. The stunt seems to have worked out, as she's retained her massive follower count. Since then, she's only posted a few times. These mostly promote the upcoming album and the AT&T-exclusive Taylor Swift NOW service.
Should You Follow? If you're a Taylor Swift fan and want the first details on her new album, you should keep an eye on it here.
5. Beyoncé
Followers: 106 million | Following: 0
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is another pop music powerhouse. As part of girl-group Destiny's Child, she became famous. After an acting role in Goldmember and her solo album debut, the smash single Crazy in Love set her on the fast track to become a wildly popular solo artist.
Like most other celebrities, the majority of Beyoncé's pictures are of herself. Recently, she's also posted some pictures in support of Hurricane Harvey's victims since she was raised in Houston. Interestingly, we couldn't find any references to the Nintendo DS game she loved so much.
Should You Follow? If you like Beyoncé, have a look at her feed. Those who don't care for her don't really have a reason to do so.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo
Followers: 111 million | Following: 387
A unique person to this list, Cristiano Ronaldo isn't a musician, actor, or Kardashian. Instead, he's one of the best football (soccer) players in the world and widely considered as one of the best to ever play the game. His achievements are outstanding, including several league records for most goals scored, 24 trophies, and holding the title of highest-paid athlete in the world.
Ronaldo's Instagram feed contains lots of pictures of his sport. But you'll also find some shots of his everyday life. Pictures capturing his peak physical condition certainly don't hurt his follower count.
Should You Follow? If you like soccer AKA football or enjoy male eye candy, this is the guy to follow. Those who don't care about the sport won't miss much here.
3. Ariana Grande
Followers: 113 million | Following: 1,365
Ariana Grande is an actress-turned musician who starred in the Nickelodeon show Victorious and its spinoff. She launched a successful solo album in 2013, and its follow-up only boosted her popularity. Grande has won plenty of awards and her music videos have been viewed over eight billion times total online.
On her Instagram page, you'll find lots of standard selfies, plus behind-the-scenes pictures from her recent tour. If you can't make it out to one of her shows, this is a good way to still see what's up.
Should You Follow? Like most of the accounts here, it depends on whether you like Ariana Grande. If you don't care about seeing pictures of her, move along.
2. Selena Gomez
Followers: 127 million | Following: 284
Selena Gomez has a similar story to Ariana Grande. She started out with a role on the Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place, and acted in a few films as well. In 2013, she jumped into music with a solo album and has since sold millions of albums and received many awards. She also has her own line of fragrances.
Since the most-followed Instagram account is a brand, this makes Selena Gomez is the most-followed person on the site. Subscribing to her feed will let you see the usual pictures of her, along with some shots of her music videos.
Should You Follow? If you like Selena Gomez or just want to say that you follow the most popular Instagram user in the world, go for it.
1. Instagram
Followers: 226 million | Following: 197
So, the most-followed Instagram account is… Instagram's own account. Boasting almost a hundred million more followers than second place, this account acts as a sort of "greatest hits" for the rest of the Instagram sphere. Along with new feature announcements, it highlights top videos and photos from other creators.
The Instagram account posts several times per day, and it's always serving up something new.
Should You Follow? Following this account is a great way to check out new pictures from accounts you might otherwise miss. Definitely give it a look.
Don't follow enough people, yet? We also recommend following the social media accounts of these brand.
What Accounts Do You Follow and Why?
It's a bit of a shame that there's not more variety in these top ten accounts. Since Instagram is a place for sharing pictures, you'd think that some of the most popular accounts would be those with the coolest photos. But as it turns out, most people want to follow their favorite celebrities instead.
If you like a particular star, you should follow their account. If not, there's no reason to follow Selena Gomez or Kylie Jenner when all they do is post photos of themselves.
You might be more interested in checking out the funniest Instagram accounts or these cute animal Instagram accounts. You can also follow accounts that let you see amazing places around the world or these professional photographers.
If you have your own Instagram account, you may also want to know how to see who unfollowed you on Instagram.