Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger were just regular
Stanford graduates looking for success in the business world. Systrom majored
in management science and engineering, while Krieger majored in symbolic
systems with a concentration in human-computer interaction. Both had a passion
for photography, but also both had this passion for social technology that
connects people. Naturally they founded the company Instagram.
Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media
apps. It has over 75 million customers worldwide in almost every country of the
world. What is so special about Instagram? You are able to share your
experiences and interests instantly to the world; instant photos and telegrams
in one, hence the name Instagram. Photos are available for anyone (or those who
you approve only) to view. This way you can appreciate Instagram by sharing
your life’s endeavors, art, or passion for photography with the world by the
touch of your finger. One thing Kevin and Mike may not have known was how the
popularity of Instagram would create a sense of community between worldwide
users.
There are different ways in which Instagram promotes
community. People all around the world share common interests such as, a
celebrity they like, or a sports team they cheer for. In this sense Instagram
has managed to form communities by luring people to like and comment on users
in the app. For example NFL football team, the San Diego Chargers, have an
Instagram page. Fans that want to see cool photos of the team and their
whereabouts follow the account. Followers can then like photos, comment on
them, or just simply admire them. A community is formed by similar interest of
following the team. Thereafter many embark into “comment conversations”, that
is, conversations that occur through comments on the photo. This gives us a
sense of community through a shared interest.
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| Chargers Eric Weddle |
A second way is through hashtags. When any user
uploads a photo to Instagram they have the ability to add a caption giving a
brief explanation behind the photo. In these captions it has become a common
way of creating community by adding a hashtag. Thereafter clicking on the
hashtag in the caption you are able to see all other photos which had the same
hashtag. This draws a people together through a certain shared interest once
again.
Lastly, Instagram draws us together through art.
Photography is not just a way to freeze a moment in time for memory’s sake; it
is also a large form of art. Many users on Instagram are able to share their
art through the app. This is a very common way many artists have become
successful in our generation, through new media. Robert Bellah explains in his
book Habits of the Heart, that
community is a cultural theme, which calls us to wider and wider circles of
loyalty, ultimately embracing that universal community of all beings. [1] I
believe Instagram does this with artists. A community is created worldwide through
Instagram, which allows artists to form, share, and embrace art together in a
way that used to be limitedly impossible.
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| Graffiti art on Instagram |
[1] Robert Neelly Bellah and others, Habits of the Heart, (California:
University of California Press, 2008), xxxiv
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