So by now, you probably have heard of Instagram. Many of you probably already have it on your mobile device - iOS or Android, sorry WP7 but no love yet. For the few of you out there possibly reading this and NOT aware of what it Instagram is, let me enlighten. Very briefly, Instagram is a camera app that lets you edit photos with lots of different "filters and effects" and lets you upload or post these pics to your Instagram profile along with other social sites like Facebook or Twitter. It recently was purchased by Facebook for $1 billion but even before Facebook swooped in and took ownership, Instagram was already a very popular program that many people already used. So popular in fact that when Instagram released for the Android operating system, it had over 1 million downloads on the first day. That has to say something of the popularity of the app; or does it.
Now before everyone jumps up and decides to protest me for speaking negatively about Instagram, let me say there are a things I like and some things I "question" about Instagram's success (or should I say, continuing success). First off, camera filter apps are not uncommon. And I think they are needed. While mobile operating systems do end up incorporating common and popular features into their newest updates, they can not incorporate all of the features that their vast and diverse base uses. And Instagram has been quick to update and offer many new filters on a regular basis.
The second part of Instagram that I like is its 'social network' factor. It is at its base, a social network for picture sharing. And not picture sharing for professional photographers but for the everyday person. You pull out your camera phone, point, shoot, maybe apply a filter or effect, and the share to the Instagram network. Friends or others can follow your picture postings and "like" them along with posting comments too. The pics can be shared to Facebook or Twitter too but that is not where Instagram shines. It shines due to its separate picture network because you can take as many pictures as you like but not have to harass your other social network friends with a flood of photos that they may not want to see everyday. And lets admit it, we all have at least one of those friends that feels the need to share EVERY pic they take of their baby, child, dog, pet, or every little thing they see during their day. I'm sorry but I don't need to see little baby's 472 step, child's rolling on the floor for the 587 time, dog licking the camera, ect. That's not to say that I don't want to share in the special events of my friends life that pictures can only capture; I just don't want to share in every moment of their lives via pictures. Instagram lets you take all those pics, share them on the Instagram network, and post the most important ones (hopefully) to the more popular social networks of choice.
Those two aspects of Instagram make me appreciate the app and its functionality. Now for my 'questions' about the app. This starts with the fact that filter apps are a not uncommon and as stated prior, the commonly used filters and effects usually get absorbed and incorporated into future mobile operating systems updates. The bigger, stronger, and main 'question' that I end with towards Instagram is its 'social' network aspect. Yes, the part of Instagram that I just praised earlier is the very same part that I question. Now to be clear, I don't question the usefulness of keeping ones multiple pictures separate from your regular social networks and I still love that it allows you to take your most important photos and share those to those social networks when needed. I just have to wonder if Instagram has managed to imbed itself as a permanent photo social site or if it's just the most popular current one.
By most popular current one, I mean, the one that everyone is currently using but won't stay on forever. I say this because I can remember other picture apps that everyone seemingly jumped on board with and the numerous posts by friends saying to "follow them on ....." and that now they no longer are on or use. I can remember last year how everyone was using Cooliris and their LiveShare, Camera+, Pixlr-O-Matic, Path, Lightbox, and the two former popular leaders Lockerz and Picplz. I especially remember seeing so many of my friends signing up for Lockerz and then when Picplz came out how everyone needed to re-upload their picture libraries to it so all could see. Now, not more than 1 yr later, Instagram is the hottest and latest craze for sharing ones photos. So I am skeptical about the long term prospects of Instagram staying the norm for picture sharing down the road.
On that note, let me say this. Whatever picture service you choose to use, just stick with it. I can recall a conversation I had with a friend about this topic and saying that one day people will have their photos spread across several differnt sites by the time they are old . And who wants to remember what site you have pictures from one event and which other site your pics from another event are on. I myself, have continued to use Google's Picasa as it lets me upload and store all my pictures and share access to the albums I make to the people I want. If i need to post to Twitter or my Google+, I can. More important to me though, is that all my pictures will be on there and I won't have to pull up Lockerz for my NYE pictures and then Instagram for my summer vacation photos. That in itself, is worth all the occassional taunting I may get for not 'getting on board' with the latest app. I've seen so many come and go that I'll wait to see if Instagram has staying power before I start sharing. For now, I'll just use it to follow the pics of my friends until they jump to the next newest photo app fad.
