16 May,2026 05:28 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Elon Musk. FILE PIC
Elon Musk has once again sparked a social media debate after posting a remark about Instagram on his platform X, drawing strong reactions from users online.
The billionaire entrepreneur responded to a viral thread discussing social media habits and online behaviour with a brief comment: "Lmao. Instagram is for girls."
The post quickly gained traction, gathering millions of views and thousands of interactions within hours. Musk later added another remark, writing, "Sometimes grown men send me their Instagram profiles and I'm like are you transitioning or what?"
The post garnered over 29,000 likes, 3,400 reposts, and 2.5 million views shortly after posting. His follow-up reply amplified the discussion further.
The comments triggered mixed reactions across social media platforms, with supporters treating the remarks as humour aimed at highlighting the cultural differences between X and Instagram.
Several users argued that Instagram has evolved far beyond a lifestyle or selfie-sharing application and is now widely used by businesses, creators, journalists, artists and influencers across demographics. Others echoed Musk's view that Instagram focuses heavily on curated visuals and personal branding, while X is more centred around debate, commentary and real-time discussions.
Critics, however, accused Musk of reinforcing stereotypes and making dismissive comments about Instagram users.
Musk has repeatedly criticised Instagram and other platforms owned by Meta Platforms in the past. Years ago, he described Instagram as a "thirst trap", suggesting that the platform encourages users to seek validation through carefully curated photos and content.
The Tesla and SpaceX chief has largely stayed away from Instagram personally and uses X as his primary communication platform. Since acquiring Twitter and rebranding it as X, Musk has frequently promoted the platform as a space for more direct and unfiltered conversations.
Industry reports estimate that Instagram has more than two billion monthly active users globally and remains one of the most influential social media platforms for visual content, advertising and creator-driven engagement. X, meanwhile, continues to position itself as a platform focused on public conversations, politics, news and live commentary under Musk's leadership.
