Instagram Hitches Wagon to Private Messaging

Instagram has dipped its toes into private-photo and video messaging waters. Instagram Direct allows the community's more than 150 million monthly active users to send photos and videos within a group. The process of sending a private message works just like posting a photo or video publicly: Take a new photo or upload an existing one, slap on a filter and effects, and add a caption and tags. Instead of sharing the photo on your public profile, however, you can tap the Direct option at the top of the screen, and share it with up to 15 contacts.