Since Instagram's launch in October of 2010, Instagram has become one of the most (if not the most), popular social media apps out there. The app’s photo sharing capabilities allow users to upload pictures from their phones and include everything from captions, to filters, to advanced photo editing tools for users to post the best picture possible to their online profiles. For five year now, the app has only continued to grow and change, and we are all still obsessing over it.
Instagram’s range of photo types includes self-portraits (“selfies”), to landscapes of beautiful places that will spark anyone’s wanderlust, to tips and advice on keeping with a healthy lifestyle, (or non-healthy, there are a lot of pictures of donuts and pizza on there too, but who’s complaining). What I’ve discovered is most powerful about this app is how it can grow someone’s business. Many businesses are focusing a lot less on paid advertising and a lot more on their social media presence. Through Instagram, you can find things like online clothing stores or handcrafted jewelry. You can start an affordable diet plan and know the exact types of workouts to get the body of the people in the pictures you admire or find far away places that you may have never discovered.
The “discover tab” has opened up a whole world, literally. Through Instagram Discover, people you may have mutual followers with or photos that are based on posts you’ve liked will come up and allow you to discover new interests. Looking up hashtags allows for further exploring and could even give great advice when it comes to things like making coolers, crafts, and even home décor. DIY businesses thrive through the power of social media, and photos are the best way to show off your own work.
Discover can also bring you to places you may have never seen or even heard about. Whether its mountains, beaches, or big cities that you’re dreaming of, Instagram is full of stunning photographs for users to explore endless landscapes and plan their dream trips. Instagram’s accessibility to other states, countries, and places all over the world makes it one of the most diverse social networking apps out there, and you can experience so much in one glance from this amazing creation.
Of course, what Instagram strives for more than anything is photo sharing. It has accomplished that beyond what it’s creators probably ever imagined. Not only do users get to share with their loved ones and friends, but also people they don’t even know. Being on this site means promoting yourself and your image, and many benefits have come from this little app’s simple creation. It’s not just something that people use to take up time or look at when they’re bored anymore. The app has grown into a lifestyle, a place where users can really ‘picture’ their dreams coming true and think of building the life they've always wanted, or even perhaps one they never could even thought of before.
