At the end of September, Instagram officially took Twitter’s spot as the number two social networking site, right below its father site Facebook. With over 400 million monthly users, Instagram is kicking butts and taking names. From now on, it’s so long 140 characters and hello Valencia filter. But why is it that Instagram is slowly but surely taking over the spotlight? As social media fiends move into October, who knows where this artsy and resrouceful app will lead its mere 400 million users.
According to Sharon Gaudin from computerworld.com, Instagram gained most of its momentum in less than a year. In December of 2014, the site had 300 million monthly users, and in less than a year, it has gained a hefty 100 million users. Among this 100 million, more than half live in Europe and Asia, with Brazil, Japan and Indonesia adding the most users.
The company wrote in a blog post, “While milestones like this are important, what really excites us is the way that visual communication makes the world feel a little bit smaller to every one of us.” Comments like these are what give the social media world some footing to stand on with regard to its importance. Not only are sites such as Instagram able to bring business and marketing revenue, they also allow users to build a community with other users.
It’s easy for us to give Instagram a pat on the back for its job well done, but it’s interesting to discuss why Instagram is suddenly gaining users by the minute. Since its beginning, Instagram has been a predominantly young site, mostly marketing itself toward a young population. It has a distinct following of “artsy” or “hip” followers because of its artistic features for posting. Although, as the app continues to generate more and more users, the demographics of the site’s audience is expanding as well. If Instagram is suddenly taking some of Twitter’s users, then it must be appealing to older people as well.
Additionally, Instagram has many features that Twitter does not. Instagram is focused around the premise of photos. People are fascinated with projecting themselves as the very best version of themselves, which Instagram allows you to do with filters, cropping options and constant updates. On the other hand, Twitter condenses its opportunities by its character limit. Though both sites are aimed at mobile devices, Instagram allows users to snap a photo quickly, edit it, and upload it within seconds. Not only is this great for this generation’s self-righteous aura, it allows businesses to market themselves in the best PR light.
Now that Twitter is taking a back burner, could Facebook be next on the blacklist? Stay tuned and keep refreshing your Instagram feed to find out.
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