December 10, 2014 12:06 PM EST
Instagram is officially bigger than Twitter, as far as user numbers are concerned.
The photo-sharing app has reached more than 300 million monthly active users who share over 70 million photos and videos a day, Instagram said Wednesday.
Instagram also said that it will soon be rolling out a “verified badges” feature, similar to the blue checkmark you see on some Twitter and Facebook pages. The company also announced it will start fully deleting accounts it considers “spammy.”
The number of Instagram users has ballooned this year, with 100 million monthly active users added since March, CNBC reported Wednesday. Facebook bought Instagram in a deal that closed in September 2012 at a value of about $715 million.
Twitter, by contrast, has a market cap of about $23 billion and 284 million monthly active users.
“We’re seeing a lot of people coming in the fashion world, a lot of people coming in, in the youthful teens world, and a lot of people internationally as well,” CEO Kevin Systrom told CNBC.
These Are the Interior Department's Most Popular Instagram Photos of 2014 Our public lands give some of the most spectacular views, like this one of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming Christina Adele Warburg—
sharetheexperience.org America's first national monument, Devils Tower is a geologic feature that protrudes out of the rolling prairie in Wyoming. David Lane (@drlane56 ) captured this amazing 16-image panorama of the monument illuminated by the Milky Way and green airglow. Of visiting Devils Tower, David says: "From ancient stories of the Pleiades taking refuge at the top to the generations of Native Americas that held it sacred, it had a deep sense of age and a stoic nature that impressed me. It's so unexpected, so large in person, so steeped in traditions." Courtesy David Lane This bear is in Lake Clark National Park, a land of stunning beauty where volcanoes steam, salmon run, bears forage, craggy mountains reflect in shimmering turquoise lakes, and local people and culture still depend on the land and water of their home. Solitude is found around every bend in the river and shoulder of a mountain. Venture into the park to become part of the wilderness. Kevin Dietrich——
sharetheexperience.org A gorgeous photo of the changing fall colors in Zion National Park (Utah). Kevin Roland captured this shot at one of the park's most popular areas -- the Narrows, a gorge with wall a thousand feet tall. Kevin Roland——
sharetheexperience.org On October 8, 1964, this Colorado River lake area on the border of Nevada and Arizona became the first national recreation area in the U.S. With its gorgeous contrasts of desert and water, mountains and canyons, Lake Mead National Recreation Area offers year-round recreational opportunities. Cheryl Hobbs——
sharetheexperience.org Winter has arrived at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and it is gorgeous! Christina Adele Warburg@christinaadelephoto took this photo last weekend at Mormon Row. Photographers from around the world visit this area of the park to capture the iconic barn with the Teton Range in the background. Courtesy Christina Adele Warburg An amazing sunrise at Canyonlands National Park in Utah. This photo was captured by Ryan Engstrom on the Mesa Arch Trail -- a popular place to capture the sunrise over the park’s countless canyons and fantastically formed buttes carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries. Ryan Engstrom—
sharetheexperience.org The morning commute is a little different at Yellowstone National Park. Cameron Patrick captured this photo on a cold morning -- just after the bison herd had waded through a river along the side the road. The bisons' body heat caused the water to turn to steam in the cold air, creating mist around the bison. Courtesy Cameron Patrick "If it isn't God's backyard, then he certainly lives nearby." - Robin Williams on Glacier National Park. Kim Hang Dessoliers—
sharetheexperience.org The Milky Way over Arches National Park in Utah. Jacob W. Frank More Must-Reads from TIME