Recently, I was out to lunch with our Director Mark Irving and Producer Julie Olson and found ourselves chatting about Instagram. It's been a topic in our office lately because of it's growth within our community. We shared our thoughts on why its filters intrigue users and what it offers them. We determined that Instagram offers users a way to share themselves with a look of authenticity. Understandably, people love Instagram for it's ease of use... from taking a photo, applying an effect, and exporting it to their social networks, but it's what the app does to a photo that makes it amazing. It has an ability to transform an image into something that resembles the look and feel of film. As someone who studied film at a University, I'm not surprised by Instagram's lure. It allows people to connect with an internal desire to be original... to be organic. However, since our discussion in the little pizzeria, Instagram has been purchased by Facebook's owner Mark Zuckerburg, and the purchase has left some users outraged because their "organic experience" seems to be lost to corporate enterprise. So, where does this leave it's users?
Change can sometimes be a struggle, but at this point the biggest change for Instagram users is perception. In the hearts and minds of some, their sole love for Instagram was that it wasn't Facebook. Even though nothing has changed with the application yet, it's caused many to delete their accounts in search of another way. They're left to search for a way outside of the current of mainstream media and onto a new social platform on finges social media. So should you delete your account or continue your efforts in creating one? At this point, I would encourage you to not loose sight of the larger picture. Yes, it's a part of a larger corporation now but that doesn't mean it's obsolete or bad. Instagram really couldn't be more relevant to interpersonal communication.
Here's an article by the NY Times for further thought.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/technology/facebook-plays-offense-and-defense-by-buying-instagram.html
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