From Facebook's recent $1 billion acquisition to a mention by Dom Mazzetti in his latest YouTube video, Instagram is the current 'it girl' of all the apps. So what is Instagram exactly and what's behind it's current popularity boom?
Instagram is a free photo-sharing app for iPhone and Android that allows users to add artistic filters to their photos, tag their location and share them to their social networks. Users can follow their friends, strangers, creatives, news organizations, brands and celebrities.
All Instagram photos get cropped into a square shape while allowing users to choose filters that make their photos look unique or antique. Users can Like and Comment on photos and hashtag their own photos so that they are easily searchable. Users also have the option to share their Instagrammed photos to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, Posterous and Foursquare.
Whether keeping friends up to date or keeping up with the news, Instagram showcases slice-of-life photos easily and creatively. Many brands use Instagram to show their followers behind the scenes happenings at their headquarters or use Instagram for brand storytelling. Popular brands on Instagram include: Starbucks, ABC World News, Red Bull, Rebecca Minkoff, Brisk, Sharpie, Nylon Magazine, NH Hotels, CNN, Burberry, The Today Show and GQ. Instagram has been popular amongst celebrities too, many of who post things like new projects to them in their pajamas. Popular celebrities on Instagram include: Snoop Dogg, Rihanna, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Bieber, Dane Cook, Oscar PR Girl and Jason Mraz.
In April 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock. Facebook's purchase of Instagram increased its popularity even more. After Facebook's acquisition, Instagram became the top downloaded free app in Apple's iTunes store. Many people disliked the idea of Facebook purchasing Instagram because of the fear of integration. However, Facebook has said that they plan to keep Instagram independently managed.
By: Jen O'Neill
Picture Complements Tn24H TECH NEWS
