Remember taking Polaroid pictures?
Snapping with the small boxy camera that buzzed as it produced and spat out the square white-framed photograph. Polaroid cameras are still around but they aren’t quite the same.
I am thinking Instagram is a little like the old Polaroid snaps.
Are you a fan of Instagram?
I wax and wane. Instagram has changed a great deal since it was introduced in 2010. It started as a way to record personal moments and was a time stamp of events; the where and when of milestones, travel and unforgettable interludes. Instagram was extremely personal, like the Polaroid. Happy snaps collected and curated on one page for friends to see and like at their leisure. The stream flows but the images are there in perpetuity.
As time has progressed Instagram, unlike the Polaroid, has become a commercial venture for many. Income is only one of the ways Instagram generates potential. Now, the majority of feeds are curated edits that showcase a brand and ultimately divert traffic. Many bloggers today post only on Instagram as the younger generation follow imagery rather than words.
This is where I get myself into trouble.
I love imagery but I adore words. As much as my feed expresses my visual appreciation for the world we live in, I still enjoy the process of communicating live here on the website. I don’t think I could talk the talk we talk on Instagram. I admire those who can.
I use Instagram like my Polaroid; I post an image I would like to keep, to stick on my noticeboard and to create a scrapbook of sorts. I share feeds on Instagram more often than I post personal shots these days; the visuals available and the stories being told are quite extraordinary. Some mornings before I even get out of bed I have toured north, south, west and east of the globe. With a double tap of the thumb we can be transported anywhere we want.
Quite something, right? xv
Instagram To Inspire
@pocodesigns || @thewriting || @jasminetartine || @georgiannalane || @thephotosociety
