Falling in love with Instagram

I am a busy guy and I don’t have a lot of free time, especially for another bloody social media platform. But week by week I have been falling in love with Instagram. It offers zero business value, at least the way I use it, and I don’t want it to.  It is just pure, pressure-free, lovely, creative fun.

If you haven’t tried it, Instagram is an exceedingly easy way to share, edit, and view photos. It is only available on mobile devices and is so easy to use, there are literally no instructions. Here’s why I love it:

Ultra personal.  I am so very grateful for the many connections I have made through the blog but it is difficult to REALLY know people. On Instagram, people post little intimate glimpses of their lives as an art form.  People snap photos of where they are, what they love, and who they love. I have learned that Kerry Gorgone has a passion for muscle cars and Joel Hughes takes amazing pictures of things in decay and I can see the view Brian Solis has from his hotel room in Europe.  I get to “meet” the parents, grandparents and kids of my social media friends. I see where people live, what they drive, and their favorite places to relax. I feel like the relationships are becoming richer.

I also find that I “open up” more on Instagram and post personal photos that I would not put on other sites.  I’m not sure of the psychology behind this other than since other people are opening up, maybe it feels safer for me too.

It’s an easy way to share photos. There is a modest editing utility on Instagram and after you edit a photo, it saves it on your phone so you have access the “better” picture later. With the push of a button, you can pump the pics on to Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr too.

It’s time-friendly. I can scroll through Instagram in a few minutes and be caught up. It takes hardly any time at all. And if I miss the photos of a friend, I can click on their icon and see all of their photos in one place.

It’s a creative challenge. If I’m in an interesting place, I start to look for interesting angles and compositions for my own contribution to Instagram. I only post 1-2 photos a day and I try to make them great. So for example, I was caught in a fierce storm in New York City and saw a scene that seemed surreal. It was an Instagram moment! Moving around life is more fun if you are always looking a little deeper, a little higher, a little wider at a scene to share with friends. It has really invigorated my love of photography and the creative process.

World view. I get to see pictures of people living their lives all over the world. Romania. Moldova. Croatia. Even Kentucky! It’s like a little National Geographic every day.

I hope you’ll give Instagram a try and if you do, please feel free follow me at markwschaefer. I’ll try to make your day a little more interesting and fun!

Why do YOU love Instagram?  Have you caught the bug?

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