The Instant Telegram

 Instagram by far is one of the most used forms of social media today. With over 1 billions users each month, It is common to hear someone say, "did you see what she posted on Instagram?" or "You totally should follow me so we can keep in touch." Most teens and young adults might not even remember what it was like to have a life that wasn't surrounded by how many followers or likes you got, but what is crazy to think about is that it was not that long ago. I first downloaded instagram when I was in the 3rd grade, I was maybe 10 or 11? Whether or not my mother agree with the use of social media at such a young age, her input was not kept on record (lol). I remember I consistently use the app and made posts that looked very much like this:

Or even worse, My instagram used to look like this:

I was just a silly kid doing some harmless things on the internet. Thinking back, I was 10 around the years of 2013, which was in the toddler years of Instagrams takeover, and boy did we have a long ways to go.

History of Instagram

Instagram is a photo and video sharing app that was launched in 2010, only 13 years ago, by Stanford graduate Kevin Systrom. Systrom had no knowledge of computer science, but he learned to code in his free time while working at a travel recommendations startup. He soon built his first prototype app called BURBN which was inspired by his love for drinking. The prototype allowed users to check in, post plans and share photos (a unique feature for any app at the time). Systrom was able to raise enough capital with his prototype that he was able to hire a team to support his venture. They decided to focus mainly on the ability to share photos taken on a mobile phone. They stripped BURBN down to basic abilities and functions such as liking, commenting and sharing photos. They then renamed the prototype “Instagram”, and it was ready to launch in October of 2010. By the end of the first day, Instagram had been downloaded 25,000 times. By the end of the first week, Instagram had been downloaded 100,000 times. Today Instagram has more than 1 Billion users. 

Impact of Instagram:

It is no doubt that instagram made a splash in the app store but instagram has other ways of impacting our society other than sharing pictures of your lunch or your best duck face. The app has connected communities and different parts of the world in just a click of a button, bringing together every corner of the world. It has mobilized activism allowing users to protest and spread awareness, by being able to share political campaigns or elect social change. But most profoundly, Instagram has changed marketing strategies by creating a platform for small business’. Now you do need some fancy ad or hire anybody to sell your products or services, you can do all comfortably from the computer in your pocket.

Instagram also comes with it's negative impacts as well. Studies Show that frequent use of social media apps like instagram result in negative views of self image, the compulsion to create fake lives, and the addictive behave resulting from likes and comments.