Sir David Attenborough bettered the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to reach one million followers on Instagram by more than an hour, after his first post.
Attenborough joined Instagram on September 24.
The post, an IGTV video about global warming concerns, debuted at 5pm CAT and roughly four hours later at 9h44pm, his account hit the one million follower milestone. During that period the video was viewed more than two million times.
The record was previously held by Jennifer Aniston, who gained one million followers in five hours and 16 minutes in October 2019.
In the video, the 94-year-old conservationist explained that he moved to Instagram to explore new avenues of communication to spread his environmental message. He continued to say that he would use the platform to share videos ‘explaining what the problems are and how we can deal with them’.
The move also gives Attenborough the opportunity to connect with a younger audience and educate the world about imminent threats to the planet. In an interview with the BBC, he said that breaking the Guinness World Record instilled him with ‘great hope’ that young people are engaged in the issue of climate change.
‘It’s their world and it’s their tomorrow. I won’t be there, they will be. It’s theirs and if they aren’t persuaded that it’s important, we’re wasting our time. I feel privileged that they should listen to what an old bloke like me is talking about,’ said the naturalist.
As of September 29, Attenborough’s account has 4.7 million followers and his IGTV videos have amassed more than 21 million views.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFjn7MKHg8y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Image credit: Instagram/ @davidattenborough
