Instagram through Diffusion of Innovations Theory

    For this blog post, I wanted to select a profound social media platform, and analyze it through the Diffusion of Innovations Theory. The platform that I have selected was Instagram, the reason why I have selected Instagram is that it is such a popular and mainstream platform, and I was curious as to how they built it up to how big it is today.  To dive a little bit into the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, this theory seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. The theory was invented by Everett Rodgers, Rodgers argued with this innovation, that innovation is communicated over time among the participants in a social system. With that being said, I will begin my exploration on Instagram, among the Diffusion of Innovations Theory. 

    When Instagram made its first entry into the social media world, in October of 2010, the application was a simple usage. Users were able to post pictures, like, comment, and follow other users. The app begins to fall into the innovation stage in April 2012, when Instagram made the biggest change for their platform. Instagram was brought to the Android operating system. This paved the way for a whole new market, which brought about Instagram’s next milestone within that month: 50 million users on the platform. With this, Instagram proved that it was here to stay. This was just the beginning for this social media platform, from this point on, Instagram only got bigger and bigger, pulling in immense amounts of users over the following years. 

    Instagram began to boom. Just the idea for users across the world to be able to share their daily lives through photo and video sharing, made it an irresistible app! Along with posting your own content, you are able to visualize and be other users' shoes. With Instagram, people were able to travel the world and were able to get exposed to a different social world, all in the palm of their hand. This was where everyone was at, Instagra usage spread like wildfire, if you were not on Instagram when its launching began, where were you then? 

    

    Although Instagram is a superb app to use that allows you to connect with friends on the daily and show off your everyday activities, there happens to be a bit of a downfall with that. With people becoming more familiar with the photo sharing ability, and knowing how to operate the camera more, people have started to take it to a new extreme. Lighting, photo effects, fake followers, and buying likes, have all been new implementations that users have been making to bring their account to the next level. People are starting o take pictures of themselves that almost makes them look too good. This has lead to many people comparing themselves to those users. Feeling like they're almost not good enough, constantly putting people down. This downfall has led a lot of mental health issues, with over 1,500 teens and adults having high levels of anxiety, depression, bullying, and FOMO.

    Instagram offers something different with their platform, compared to the other ones out there. The content that is put out on Instagram is more engaging than other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The visual content is the best way to connect with your followers, and Instagram focuses solely on a high-end visual experience. Giving the user the ability to build their brand image through photos and videos, which is far more effective Facebook or Twitter or any other social media website.With having millions on millions of users that use their app everyday, Instagram continues to dominate the social media world by engaging a variety of audiences. Presenting them the opportunity for being one of, or the, best social media platform in the world. 

    In the case that Instagram has made for themselves, I believe the positives strongly outweigh the negatives. Although the photo sharing has been taken to a new level, where people are constantly comparing themselves to other famous celebrities where they have top of the line effects and lighting, the user is able to see beyond that. Instagram presents the consumer to share their lives in pictures, with high definition exposure. Along with that, you are able to sell yourself to others, and meet other people too. If you are able to see beyond that the people trying to pose their best selves, where in reality, they don't look like that, take Instagram for the great pros that it has to offer, and make something out of it.