Society
Instagram People Killing two birds with one stone, the Instagram generation has fun with social media along with making a difference, working and earning By Saachi Pai Kane aunched in 2010, Instagram has been working its magic for more than a decade now, and it is safe to say that everyone is hooked. From square pictures and five basic filters to boomerangs, reels, stories, and filters about literally everything, Instagram has been thriving and taking over everyone’s lives. People who started off as the ‘Facebook Generation’ have now turned to Instagram for socialising, staying updated, and entertaining themselves. Instagram, with its easy accessibility, minimalistic yet abundant features, and growth, has gripped the attention of many. With their latest ‘Reels’ update, people
L
“Instagram helps me craft my brand identity” Ryan Menezes 26 | My Goa | July 2021
get lost within the app for hours on end, watching different quirky, funny videos, some quite eye-opening that even teach you new things. Besides being all fun and games, the rapidly increasing 1 billion active users on Instagram makes it a huge platform for marketing. People can pay and promote posts to a large number of target audiences. Organic posting and market research has grown immensely, creating a new avenue for employment, Instagram Marketing. This fast-paced profession is all about staying up to date on Instagram updates and using those to one’s advantage. The app also provides very easy data on the engagement rate, updates on people’s followers, and data that can be used to improve one’s business and reach. During and post the lockdowns, there has been an increasing growth in the number of Instagram accounts created. Users create multiple accounts, some of them being professional portfolios. Instagram’s features and the additionally available features online like Canva and Unfold help create aesthetic and relevant content for everyone. Artists, architects, doctors, people from any and all professions have created Instagram portfolios that are easily accessible, easily updated and are better modes of showing off one’s work and spreading
“It’s a bigger platform for discourses about taboo subjects” Raineera Baretto awareness. The number of avenues Instagram features have given people is impeccable. Millennials spend a minimum of 2 hours a day browsing through Instagram. When asked about Instagram addiction, cinematographer Yash Kamat says, “You’re consuming the things you like, that’s how it curates posts, and scrolling down a screen barely takes up any work.” Instagram’s algorithm is very particular when it comes to recommending and exploring posts. Yash uses Instagram mainly for work-related things, “I get a lot of work through Instagram, people see my work and recommend me
