The Hype about Instagram

CEBU, Philippines - Capturing every single moment in our life has transformed not only how fast it was produced, but also on how the way it looks.

If you’re involved with social networks like Facebook and Twitter, you may have come across a photo or two that is square and looks like it has a very elegant vintage filter applied to it. One of the most popular mobile photo applications that are responsible for doing this is Instagram.

Instagram is an online photo-sharing and social networking service that enables users to take pictures and apply digital filter, and share them on the different social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. The distinct feature of Instagram is similar to Kodak and Polaroid, as it confines photo in a square shape with an aspect ratio of 16:9, now typically used by mobile device cameras. It is available and distributed in Apple App Store and Android Google Play. It was launched October 2010.

A picture can sometimes convey what words can’t. That’s why books often include pictures. And we, as a people want to take pictures. Not only do we take photos, we want to share with the public. But when you take a picture with your phone, oftentimes it doesn’t come out the way you want it to be. And for most people, who don’t know much about photography, editing the image to adjust exposure levels, or adjust the white balance, and add some filter effects, is possible in Instagram. They give you some of the easiest and simplest way to turn your photo into something magical and beautiful. So, you don’t want to keep it to yourself, you want the world to see. Instagram has currently the following photo filters to choose from: Amaro, Rise, Hudson, X-Pro II, Siera, Lo-fi, Earlybird, Sutro, Toaster, Brannan, Inkwell, Walden, Hefe, Valencia, Nashville, 1977, and Kelvin. These effects have unique characteristics that can make our photo like a shot by a professional photographer.

Instagram has touched the lives of almost every individual, as this becomes an everyday part of life. You take a photo and share online from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep at night. Even the food you are eating. Capture first, eat later. From the most luxurious food down to the street food, turn out to be an everyday entry in Instagram. Not to mention what we are currently doing: taking a bath, watching a television or a movie, shopping, walking on the streets, among others, leave marks in the feed of the Instagram.

Instagram as a social networking site, allows you to create circle of friends, where you can also see their photos uploaded. You “like”, comment and reply to it. Including foreign and local celebrity also get hype in Instagram; they also post whatever they want to post, one of which is their vanity moment.

Applications like Instagram give you not just a quick way to share your photos within your social circles, but a way to share them with the world, if that’s what you want. There is a social network of people just like you, who want to take picture every moment of your life.

Instagram isn’t so much about its features; it is about sharing your experiences, memories and your creativity to the world. It’s about looking at the rainbow, looking at the beautiful places you have never been and dreamed of, and seeing interesting people you never thought you will met. Anyone can pick it up and feel like they’ve made their own. Just recently, Instagram added a video-sharing, one can record a video for a maximum of 15 seconds.

And if it’s not worth the hype, then what is?