Instagram was born on 10/6/2010. It has become an iconic, mainstream social media platform which many people and businesses use to show image. People show friends, their art, and other pieces of their lives to share with others. Businesses show examples of their work, their business in action, products, services in play, and many more behind-the-scenes glimpses of day to day operations or events. We love it.
What is Instagram?
From Wikipedia:
Instagram (commonly abbreviated to IG or Insta) is an American photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Facebook, created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and originally launched on iOS in October 2010. The Android version was released in April 2012, followed by a feature-limited desktop interface in November 2012, a Fire OS app in June 2014, and an app for Windows 10 in October 2016. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can be shared publicly or with pre-approved followers. Users can browse other users’ content by tags and locations and view trending content. Users can like photos and follow other users to add their content to a feed.
Cultural Influence
One of my favorite selfies was from Ellen DeGeneres and friends at the Oscars in 2014. It is still an iconic images courtesy of Instagram.
A recent blog post on Instagram is a great read. Here are some excerpts:
From fashion, to food, to entertainment, to travel, to the emergence of #weeklyfluff, people on Instagram have shaped the world around them. Who could have predicted that in 2014, astronaut Steven R. Swanson would share the first selfie uploaded to Instagram from space, or that in 2019 a humble little egg would break a world record. Beyoncé shocked us all with a pregnancy-reveal photo that became a truly iconic moment; Australia Football League’s player Tayla Harris’ kick photo started a national conversation about sexism in sports; and even the Pope came onboard. Through it all, meme accounts have kept us entertained, and countless people have turned their passions into a living on Instagram.
From Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram:
I’m proud of where we are today, but I’m thinking a lot about where we’re going. Right now, we’re witnessing enormous shifts in how people create and enjoy culture. One of the most profound is the shift of power from the organization to the individual. Athletes are arguably more relevant than teams. Artists can showcase their work without galleries or museums. Musicians have ways to reach people without labels. Culture is the collection of stories we tell, and we believe everyone has something worth saying. But it’s often young people and creators who spark those conversations. They set the trends; they signal what’s next.
Happy Birthday, Instagram. Keep bringing us great ways to express ourselves and keep it ethical.
