Photography is one of the most most commonly listed interests; people love to create a visual documentation of their lives.
Social networking has taken this hobby to a borderline-irritating level. Instant mobile uploads leave my Facebook “News Feed†full of images of friends’ meals (sorry, but I don’t care that you ate a kale salad for dinner) and wild parties while they are happening. It’s no longer enough to let people know “what’s on your mindâ€, you have to show them; and that’s really what this is all about: an instant culture.
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I am part of a generation that never experienced having film developed and waiting anxiously for the result (hipsters, you’re exempt from this statement). Instead, we download the free iPhone application, Instagram. The word “download†seems too strong, because there’s no action involved besides a password input. Its name guarantees what we’ve come to expect: instant results on a social platform.
Instagram was launched in October 2010 by two young developers, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Its premise is simple:Â use the application to take a picture, apply any one of the sixteen filters, and share with your friends. Much like popular social networking site, Twitter, this app encourages users to post photos because of the amount of people that will see each image. Also like Twitter, celebrities use (and abuse) the application. Taylor Swift, Justin Beiber, Snoop Dogg, and Ryan Seacrest are all avid fans. Below instant PDA brought to you by Selena Gomez and boyfriend, Justin Beiber.
With more than 13 million downloads, Instagram is one of the fastest growing applications in history. “We took a very basic action that everyone does in the world, taking a photo, and we put some meaning behind it, some reason behind it. The reason is suddenly all your friends can see that photo immediately, in an instant. But also we make the photo more beautiful,†27-year-old Systrom told Business Insider.
The idea of a “more beautiful†photo result is what separates Instagram loyalists and enemies. While “real†photographers spend a lifetime developing the skills to create vintage looking photographs, Instagram users upload 1 million photographs each day with the tap of a finger. Those who disapprove of the app believe this very action cheapens the art of photography. However, because of applications like Instagram, more photos are taken and displayed than ever before.
Photography is not only an instant process, but an interactive one. The conversation does not stop at the click of a camera, but continues through an endless stream of “likesâ€, comments, and reposts. The 21st-century photographer has an easy outlet to create something aesthetically wonderful without the time or labor. This is something that should be celebrated.
Spreading from an enthusiastic few to the masses in less than a year, Instagram has democratized photography. Developers are working to expand even further to Android phones and Web applications. Download Instagram for free on iTunes!
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