'Instagram Is For Girls': Musk Sparks Fresh Online Debate

Elon Musk has sparked another debate on social media after describing Instagram as a platform "for girls" in a post on X. Musk made the remark on October 1 in response to a post by Geiger Capital announcing it had deleted its Instagram account, calling the platform "inherently a female app" and saying it offered "zero benefit." Musk simply replied, "Instagram is for girls."

Users Divided Over the Comment

The brief remark quickly drew attention, with some users agreeing and joking that X is more suited to men. Others rejected categorising Instagram by gender, arguing the platform has a broad user base spanning entertainment, business, activism and personal expression, with one user noting its content around body positivity, inclusivity and diverse representation. Another user responded sarcastically, suggesting Musk had only reached that conclusion after creating an Instagram account himself.

Not the First Time

Musk has made similar comments before, having reportedly criticised men who sent him links to their Instagram profiles earlier this year while again describing the platform as primarily associated with women.

Part of a Broader Rivalry

The exchange comes against the backdrop of Musk's long-running rivalry with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, which began extending into social media after Meta launched Threads in July 2023 as a direct competitor to X, and has since expanded into artificial intelligence, where Musk's xAI and Meta both compete.