Why Did Instagram Became So Popular So Quickly?

The meteoric rate in which smart phones have integrated into everyday living is a large contributor to the popularity of mobile-only social media networking sites like Instagram, where users can share on-the-spot photos with family, friends and other followers. Instagram’s available easy-to-use filters enable users to get creative and show off their photography with a number of different looks and feels. While it’s one of the newer social media sites, Instagram became almost an overnight sensation as users signed up – and continue to sign up – in droves, simply to share pictures of their interests and activities.

Alternative to Parent-Banned Sites
Although the number of older Instagram users is steadily increasing, it become the social media of choice for tween and teens, who discovered it as an alternative when their parents prohibited them from using Facebook or other sites. Even the younger users who maintained social sites knew that parents, grandparents and other adults were snooping around their pages, and started switching strictly to their phones to network. Instagram is more than an app; it’s a social program that allows users to engage in conversations. Kids beware: Older users have caught on to the entertainment aspects of Instagram and they’re signing on, too.

There Are Some Great Photos
Instagram provides a lens through which to look into the lives of others who we find interesting, as we become interested. On demand, you can easily explore people, places and things you find compelling. You can browse through photos with an excessive number of likes, indicating that other users appreciated the photo, or search for users and hashtags. Often, these photos are true works of art, making Instagram a virtual global photo gallery. Photography purists may not be happy about it, but newer technology makes smart phones excellent cameras. In reality, though, Instagram’s cool filters make even bad photos look interesting.

It’s Instant
With Instagram, you can immediately share your filtered photo with your followers, and get almost instant feedback through likes or comments from users who viewed your photos. You can also quickly update the same photo to your other social media networks, including Facebook and Twitter. It’s also very simple to post, unlike other social sites that have added steps in their photo-sharing process.
Unlike Facebook, it’s atypical for users to post long, boring diatribes about their entire day’s activities. Instagram is a portfolio of your life with few words but great imagery.

Companies Catch On
Marketing on Instagram is still in its infancy, but that won’t last long. Companies are increasingly creating accounts to push their products to consumers in a unique way. By showcasing merchandise in Instagram-style photos, companies can connect with current customers and new audiences. They can promote their brands in a style that mirrors their followers, which provides a new kind of connection.

Instagram’s challenge will be to stay the same as possible, while adding new features that draw more users. Its popularity is due, in part, to its simplicity. As it grows, Instagram will need to remember that people like it for what it is today: a fun, funky place to share images and engage followers in brief conversation.