Just a few years back, Jennifer Aniston surprised fans worldwide by finally joining Instagram. Since then, the Emmy winner has made several memorable posts, including photos from her star-studded Friendsgiving parties and that controversial Christmas tree ornament.

More recently though, Aniston has also admitted that despite her continued Instagram presence, she still hates social media. Moreover, her decision to join the platform turned out to be a business decision more than anything else.

Jennifer Aniston Joined Instagram In 2019

It was quite a surprise for everyone when Aniston created an account on Instagram. Even better, she made her debut on the social media platform by posing a photo of herself with the rest of the Friends main cast (it was essentially the reunion before the big reunion on HBO Max).

In the caption, she posted, "And now we're Instagram FRIENDS too. HI INSTAGRAM."

While on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Aniston explained that she finally decided to join the social media platform after friends kept persuading her. "[I'm the] most reluctant person to ever join Instagram," the actress said. "I just got tired of, you know… what you resist persists," she added.

"So, what the hay? Just do it." She also revealed that since then, she hasn't had the chance to browse the app, jokingly adding that she was "just trying to build content, as they say."

At the same time, prior to officially joining Instagram, Aniston also admitted that she had used a private "stalker account" first so could browse other people's posts. Eventually, the actress realized that she should already set up an actual account for herself.

"When I was thinking about doing this I sort of figured it was time to understand the world and dip my toe into the social media pool."

More recently, Aniston admitted that she's still not a fan of social media during an interview with Allure. "I hate social media," the actress declared. She is also grateful that she never had to deal with it during her younger years.

"I'm really happy that we got to experience growing up, being a teenager, being in our 20s without this social media aspect," the actress continued.

"Look, the internet, great intentions, right? Connect people socially, social networking. It goes back to how young girls feel about themselves, compare and despair."

She Broke Instagram And Set A Guinness World Record At The Same Time

In joining Instagram, Aniston also set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest person to reach one million followers, apparently gaining a million followers in just five hours and 16 minutes (at present, the actress has 41 million followers).

The frenzy around following Aniston also continued, eventually crashing Instagram itself. For a period of time, the actress' page appeared to be unavailable.

"We are aware that some people are having issues following Jen's page — the volume of interest is incredible!" a spokesperson from Instagram later said in a statement. "We are actively working on a solution and hope to have the page up and running smoothly again shortly."

Meanwhile, when her page returned, Aniston posted a video of herself seemingly frustrated with her phone as she angrily throws it. "I swear I didn't mean to break it," she wrote in the caption. "Thank you guys for the kind, glitchy welcome ❤️."

Recently, Jennifer Aniston Revealed That Joining Instagram Had Been A Business Decision

As fans may know, Aniston has always had great hair and in fact, the actress has always taken haircare seriously, so much so that she launched her own haircare company, LolaVie, in 2021.

She also wanted a brand that strives to be better in more ways than one. "Create a product that is good for the environment, good for our hair, take out all the crappy chemicals, and have it perform," Aniston said of the business' goal.

The business also celebrated its first anniversary recently, although Lolavie could have easily been celebrating its second year already. As it turns out, Aniston had plans to launch it much sooner, which was also the reason she went on Instagram in the first place.

"The reason I went on Instagram was to launch this line," the actress revealed. "Then the pandemic hit and we didn't launch. So I was just stuck with being on Instagram. It doesn't come naturally." In the end, however, it all worked out.

Because of the delay, Aniston had more time to test out some products for LolaVie before its eventual launch just a few years later.

"I had the time to work with my own hair, and experiment with different samples we had been working on with my hair in different stages, whether it was completely dried natural or blown out," the actress explained.

Meanwhile, Aniston remains active on Instagram, and it doesn't appear that she plans to deactivate her account anytime soon. And in case anyone is wondering, LolaVie has its own Instagram account too. Follow both!