Social media chaos: Instagram is down globally on desktop & phone

If you were one of the millions of Instagram users who dragged your thumb down the screen in frustration this morning to a 'cannot refresh' notification, listen up. 

The social media app is down for users worldwide. 

Its website and app are both currently inaccessible, with the website showing a '5xx Server Error' message. 

Instagram is down. Thousands of people wander the streets with crude sketches of sunsets screaming hashtags at strangers. People carry their breakfast with them and introduce it to everyone they meet. Chaos ensues. In the distance, sirens.

— Dave (@davechannel) October 3, 2018

A heat map by DownDetector, a website monitor, shows the problems are being reported from the UK, Ireland, Russia, Australia, Japan and the EU.

However, issues with the app are usually rectified fairly fast going by previous instances, so hopefully it's just a minor blip in our Wednesday morning. 

There's no official word on what's causing the issue, but it appears to be related to Instagram's servers. 

Here's to hoping it comes back ASAP.