Instagram posted this celebratory picture on its own feed today to announce that 100 million users now share images via the app monthly. The company invited users to share what Instagram means to them using the hashtag #InstagramMeansToMe and plans feature some photos on the Instagram official account.

Instagram has officially announced it's hit the 100 million active users mark.

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The social photo sharing app remains the most prevalent network for sharing images worldwide. Launched in October 2010, the platform has seen exponential growth since. The app actually reached the 100 million registered users mark by September 2012, according to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, which purchased Instagram at a $1 billion pricetag in April of last year. Today's 100 million users number refers to those who post images via the app on a monthly basis.

The achievement is proof of continued success despite what seemed to be major catastrophe for the company recently: an announcement of forthcoming changes to Instagram’s Terms of Service sent to users in December. Many were outraged at language that seemed to imply Instagramers' photos could be potentially used in some form of advertising in the future. Instagram responded by rewording the language, but some users were adamant in their choice to close their accounts following the ToS changes.

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom shared some poignant thoughts about what the milestone meant today, which he posted on Instagram's blog: 

"It’s easy to see this as an accomplishment for a company, but I think the truth is that it’s an accomplishment for our community. Now, more than ever, people are capturing the world in real-time using Instagram—sharing images from the farthest corners of the globe. What we see as a result is a world more connected and understood through photographs."

Learn more about how far Instagram's come in such a short time with our year-end look at mobile photography.