Elon Musk, the technology billionaire and owner of X, has sparked fresh reactions online after saying “Instagram is for girls” in response to a post criticising the social media platform.
Musk made the remark on October 1 while responding to a post by venture capitalist Geiger Capital, who announced that he had deleted Instagram and described the platform as an “inherently female app” with “zero benefit”.
Musk responded briefly: “Instagram is for girls.”
The comment quickly drew attention, particularly because Musk has made a similar remark about the platform previously.
In May 2026, Musk also wrote that “Instagram is for girls” before making another comment questioning why some adult men sent him their Instagram profiles.
His latest statement has again opened a wider conversation about whether social media platforms can reasonably be associated with particular genders.
Instagram, owned by Meta, is widely used for photo and video sharing, messaging, entertainment, business promotion and influencer marketing.
Nigerian social media users responded to Musk’s latest post with a mixture of agreement, criticism and humour.
Some users agreed with his characterisation of Instagram, while others argued that the platform is used by people across different genders and age groups.
One Nigerian user questioned the idea that Instagram should be regarded as a female-oriented platform, while another joked that if Instagram was for women, it raised the question of which platform was supposedly intended for men.
“Instagram isn’t for men? If he had said Snapchat fine but not Instagram,” one user wrote.
Another user agreed with Musk, saying, “I have said it several times, Instagram is for women.”
Some reactions focused less on gender and more on personal preferences, with users comparing Instagram with Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and X.
“Just say it’s for celebrities,” another user commented.
Others used humour to challenge the stereotype, with one Nigerian user asking whether X was therefore a platform for men.
The discussion also highlighted the commercial importance of Instagram to Nigerian creators, entertainers, businesses and influencers, many of whom use the platform to reach audiences and generate income.
One user noted that money earned through Instagram is available to influencers regardless of gender.
Musk’s comment has therefore generated a conversation that extends beyond his personal preference for social media platforms, touching on how users associate particular online spaces with identity, culture and gender.
The billionaire has previously made provocative comments about social media and internet culture, often generating significant engagement on X.
His latest Instagram remark has similarly travelled beyond the original exchange, with Nigerian users adding their own interpretations and jokes to the debate.
For now, the statement remains Musk’s personal characterisation of the platform rather than an objective description of Instagram’s user base.
