Location has always been part of Instagram's DNA; before it was Instagram, it was Burbn, a local check-in app. Our team in Japan saw that users here were hyper-engaged in location pages and location-based hashtag search, so we started to build out map based features that allowed people to discover the best places to visit, through the lens of the rich photos & videos that only Instagram has.
We explored a *ton* of different location based features before we finally tested a new map experience on hashtag pages, allowing you to find local places associated with a hashtag. For example, a search for #takeout or #pizza will give you a map of nearby places that are frequently associated with those hashtags.
We expanded on this test to a full discovery map experience, showing you p popular places nearby, with features like location and category search, filters, and more. We're actively expanding the feature set as well as test markets, but it's been delightful to re-experience Instagram through this new, local point of view.