LOS ANGELES - The ladies of US pop music and pop culture are commanding the most followers among the 400 million-plus global users of Instagram, the photo-sharing app said Tuesday as it celebrated its fifth birthday. Facebook Inc-owned Instagram confirmed its top five accounts for the first time, with 25-year-old pop singer Taylor Swift leading the pack with 49.6 million users. Reality star Kim Kardashian, 34, boasts 48.1 million followers and R&B singer Beyonce, also 34, commands 47.2 million fans. Pop singers Selena Gomez, 23, and Ariana Grande, 22, have garnered 45.9 million and 44.6 million fans respectively. “The type of content we see from these people is authentic and often times really fun,” said Charles Porch, head of global creative programs at Instagram, citing Swift's penchant for cat videos and Beyonce's recent glimpse into her vacation. “It's a view people haven't really had before, especially in real time,” he said. To compare, U.S. president Barack Obama has 4.7 million Instagram followers. Instagram discounted its own account, which is followed by 103 million users. Instagram has racked up more than 400 million global users as it turns five, with 75 percent coming from outside the United States, the company said last month. The average time a user spends on the app is 21 minutes a day. - Reuters
