Tech

This viral video of a chimpanzee scrolling through Instagram proves how easy it is to get sucked into the app

In this undated photo provided by Liran Samuni, chimpanzees in the Taï National Park in the Ivory Coast vocalize with another group nearby. A study released on Thursday, March 6, 2019 highlights the diversity of chimp behaviors within groups _ traditions that are at least in part learned socially, and transmitted from generation to generation. (Liran Samuni/Taï Chimpanzee Project via AP)
Chimpanzees, but probably not the ones scrolling on Instagram. Associated Press
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For many users, Instagram has become a wormhole — it's easy to get sucked in, thanks to infinite scrolling and endless amounts of content at your disposal.

That kind of behavior is emulated in a recent video posted on Instagram featuring a chimpanzee, humankind's closest relative. The video shows a chimpanzee scrolling through Instagram, with his eyes glued to the iPhone screen as he likes posts and watches videos. He even figures out how to swipe back to the feed to look at more photos. 

The video was posted by user @therealtarzann, an exotic animal specialist named Mike Holston. Holston has more than 5 million followers on Instagram and almost half a million YouTube subscribers who watch Holston interact and pose with various animals including crocodiles, wombats, lizards, and snakes.

Holston's post has garnered more than 1.4 million views since it was posted four days ago. But this isn't the first time Holston has posted a video showing a chimp scrolling through an Instagram feed. A similar post of his from March obtained over 2 million views.

Either way, it's pretty clear that Instagram has created an interface that's so easy to use, even a chimp can do it. 

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Paige Leskin is a tech reporter at Business Insider. She covers social media platforms, internet culture, and anything weird you may notice on the world wide web. She writes about social media, influencers and personalities, companies like Instagram and TikTok, and trends taking over the internet. She's covered content moderation on YouTube, controversies around big names like Elizabeth Holmes and Caroline Calloway, and explainers on using the newest features for your favorite apps. Contact Paige at pleskin@bjinnox.com or at @paigeleskin on Twitter. If you prefer to get in touch more securely, you can contact her via Signal at +1 (201) 312-4526.