A few weeks ago I professed my love for Instagram and predicted that this easy photo-sharing app would soar. Now, new data from The Social Habit seems to confirm that Instagram is poised for a breakout.
Of the Americans surveyed who currently use a social media platform, only 18 percent currently have a profile on Instagram. That’s paltry compared to Facebook (94%) or Twitter (47%). But here are five reasons why Instagram could explode in 2013.
- Of those who have a profile, 61% have used it in the past 24 hours, an adoption level only surpassed by Facebook (at 84%). By comparison, Twitter stands at 55%, Google Plus 44% and Pinterest 52%. So those currently using Instagram are pretty voracious users by comparison.
- Of ALL those social media users surveyed, 48% declared they are using Instagram more often. This blows the other major platforms out of the water. Facebook was the next-closest platform in terms of expressed growth.
- Of those who have an Instagram profile, 83% use it at work, again surpassing even Facebook and YouTube by a long shot. One reason could be that sharing on Instagram requires no typing. You just snap a photo and post in seconds. One of my friends ran a series on Instagram where he snapped pictures – and rated — the crazy coffee cups in his office kitchen. Hilarious! Inspiration is everywhere, including work.
- Today, 67% of Instagram’s users are under the age of 34. I project that there could be a huge upside across demographics because everybody loves sharing photos and it’s so easy to use even the non-tech savvy can master it in minutes. In fact, Instagram is the most user-friendly of all platforms.
- Since Instagram is a mobile-only application, its adoption will increase as the trend toward smartphones continues in 2013.
There is also an intangible quality in play here that I think will make Instagram a red-hot property. There is an almost voyeuristic quality to Instagram that is lacking anywhere else and I think this will appeal to the same human qualities that drive the popularity of gossip magazines and reality TV shows. Of course lots of people post photos on Facebook … along with videos, cat memes and celebrity photos. But there is just something different, something more intimate, about how people are sharing their visual lives on Instagram. People show up less guarded on Instagram. I can’t really explain it, but it rocks.
Most people scoffed when Facebook acquired the 11-employee, non-revenue-producing Instagram earlier this year for $1 billion. But maybe they were on to something. The platform certainly seems to be poised to take a leap forward, according to this latest data.
By the way, this is just one tiny glimpse into the amazing dataset compiled by Edison Research and the Social Habit report which is being released this week. This is a MUST HAVE and affordable resource for any agency, marketing department or social media professional. Be part of the buzz. Get this report.
Disclosure: I am an advisor to Edison Research on the Social Habit project.
