Two new features will soon be available on Facebook-owned picture-sharing social network Instagram.
Revamped search will allow for more content to be found and the new explore feature will enable users to find what is trending on the network.
An article on Adweek suggests the new explore feature could open the door for adverts and promoted content, helping Instagram to monetise its offering.
Instagram announced the features this week, saying they are intended to help connect its community to the world "as it happens".
The explore feature will be located on a new page and allow users to track what is trending. "The new explore now surfaces trends as they emerge in real-time, connecting you to events and conversations both near you and around the globe," says Instagram.
The explore page will also feature collections curated by Instagram, featuring the best accounts on the network.
This update will only be available in the US at the moment and will be rolled out to the rest of the world as the feature is fine-tuned.
The search feature will roll-out globally with immediate effect. Before, users could only search hashtags and people, and now they will also be able to search places. "[Users] can now peer in at just about any location on earth," says Instagram, citing holiday destinations, restaurants and music festivals as examples of places users may want to explore.
More than 70 million photographs and videos are posted to the social network every day.
As of March, there were 300 million Instagram users worldwide. In SA, the user base increased by 65%, according to the SA Social Media Landscape 2015 study.
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