Student: Sir! Did you get to see my selfie on Instagram?
Teacher: Yeah? What about it?
Student: We all were having fun together and we took a
selfie.
Teacher: Oh! Umm… Ok. What about the Instagram story I told you to work on?
Student: (Bites nail, smiles, looks up and down, unlocks the
keypad of the phone, slides back, then looks at him) No, Sir!
(Pun Intended)
When Instagram was developed by Kevin
Systrom and Mike Krieger in 2010, I was then
having fun, ripping apart public-private sphere conundrum with my band members
and taking a dig at people who were technologically arrogant. Life was blissful
when I wasn’t a part of the social
networking revolution. I preferred real people, real dates and real
conversations. But things have changed. I did catch the bug like the others.
After five long years, Instagram
has become a global buzz. Available in 25 languages, it boasts a staggering 400
million active users as per the recent update on its feed. We got #WeekendHashtagProject, #ThrowbackThursday, and #Selfies. There is also an option for Explore Tab, Lux, filters and geotag.
‘Instagram Direct’ is the new thing,
which was added in 2013. The big question is Why Instagram? Why does it matter so much? I would answer this question gradually with examples. But before that I must show you the official literature that describes the app in a more human way. I mean the emotional stuff!
They say you can share world’s moments. You can share your
life with others. You can be just part of others’ life, being lived
elsewhere. Fascinating eh! I know. But hold on. The sheer volume of images being
shared on Instagram on a daily basis
is mind boggling. I don’t think in this life I can be part of everyone’s life.
I dare not. But I can be part of few good things, connect with others and do
something better for the society. I don’t need a prophecy to enlighten me when
I would be a big shot!
So, what people do actually with Instagram? Install it. Log in with a username and password, and you
will see why people are so obsessed with Instagram,
especially journalists. Every media
outlet, nowadays, has an active Instagram
profile. The trillion-dollar speculation in the air is that the Instagram is the new hotspot for image
building and can drive the valued engagement with the readers. Otherwise, why the BBC
would be so keen on reviving its Instagram
profile? In addition to that, Wall Street Journal ran an in-house
Instagram training session recently.
There are many interesting Instagram profiles that can challenge the very perception we have
National Geographic account - I
love its feed; Amazing shots, compelling storytelling and valued engagement
with the readers. It does report serious environmental issues affecting mankind.
What a better way to bring awareness to people!
Then, there are brands like Nike,
Coca-Cola,
Zara
etc. who have cautiously established connection with their customers by using Instagram. We do have famous movie
production houses and individual television series Instagram accounts too. All they do is provide behind the scene
footage and short teasers to keep the momentum alive. These are ‘narrative snippets’ that are widely
promoted on Instagram. There are
many photojournalists who use Instagram
to report stories from the remote areas of the world. Photojournalists like Michael Christopher Brown, Benjamin
Lowy, and Phil Moore have changed the face of
photojournalism. In India,
major national media outlets such as NDTV, The
Hindu, The Times of India use Instagram to share photo stories.
about the world. For example, 
What Instagram
literally offers!
Instagram offers
an alternative perspective to the way people interact with each other. There
are images, stories, people and emotion. The functional utility it provides is
the instant emotional gratification - the ‘connection’ factor! This is what
people love doing the most. The emotional stuff! Take up any issue that is
affecting your community, click pictures, use hashtags and publish it on Instagram. Follow people who influence
you the most, learn a thing or two from their feed and apply it in your real
life. You can even start a new trend.
For example, I am seriously bowled over by the #followmeto project. Photographer Murad
Osmann has created a buzz. He also published a book titled ‘Follow Me To: A Journey Around the World
Through the Eyes of Two Ordinary Travelers’. Interesting stuff indeed.
Lately, people have realized the importance of Instagram and the real time conversion
it can offer. Though at this very point, Instagram
is considered as brand image driver,
I would personally recommend young journalists,
especially photojournalists to use
this app to share the story they believe in. It’s a disruptive innovation and it must be used wisely to tell the world
what matters the most. That’s how alternative media challenges the mainstream media
and its selective rhetoric!
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