4 shocking reasons why Instagram keeps cruising?

[caption id="attachment_4996" align="aligncenter" width="333"] 4 reasons why Instagram keeps cruising?[/caption]

Why does Instagram keep cruising?

Instagram is already playing a role as the main social media for women in their 20s and 30s, and it is also one of the most loved platforms for Generation Z, who will become the pillars of the future.

Also, as it maintains steady growth, attempts to create business opportunities on Instagram continue to increase.

If so! The reason why Instagram is growing steadily is bound to be curious.

Today, I would like to unravel my thoughts on this.

1. In the digital age, photography itself is a pretty decent lifestyle content!

[caption id="attachment_4997" align="aligncenter" width="333"] In the digital age, photography itself is a pretty decent lifestyle content![/caption]

It's a bit of a principled story, but I can't help but mention the specificity of the content called 'photo' in the continued growth of Instagram.

As you well know, Instagram started as a photo-sharing service, and it still has a different position from Facebook, which is based on networking, YouTube, Snap, and TikTok, which are based on videos.

Also, Instagram still has a strange sensibility that comes from square images.

So, I would like to start the story from the content characteristics of 'pictures' or 'images'.

As the saying goes, 'A hundred words are unspeakable', sometimes it is more effective to see once than to hear 100 explanations. Sometimes giving.

Also, with the smartphone era, taking, editing, and sharing photos has become easier than ever.

Over time, the medium of photography has become the simplest way to express what you see, hear, and feel.

Of course, there are no excessive cases, but the reason that these scenes have become people's daily life is probably that photos are much simpler and more effective than expressing those moments in writing or making videos.

So, thanks to this simplicity, I think that in the digital age, photos are the content format best combined with lifestyle.

And as you know, most people share a lot of their insights and informational content on Facebook, but more often on Instagram, they share a more personal life or direct lifestyle.

Among creators, YouTube and Facebook are used as content platforms, and there are quite a few cases where communication and how to live (lifestyle sharing) are done through Instagram.

So, I think of Instagram as an 'image-based lifestyle sharing platform' rather than just a simple social media.

I tend to think that the current way of sharing one's self or life-based on photos is a trend that will continue until something else innovative after the smartphone emerges.

However, I don't think that all photo-based social media platforms will do well.

As you well know, after Instagram, a number of image-based social media platforms have emerged, but most have met with tragic endings.

Do you think that only Instagram and Pinterest are constantly growing their presence?

Some people often say that the age of texts will soon be over and the age of images will soon arrive.

There are times when text is more convenient and efficient than photos, and there are times when photos and text are together.
Because there are certainly cases with greater destructive power.

So, I tend to view that people choose the most efficient and effective way of expression in each situation, rather than that one content completely replaces another.

2. Sometimes relationships and tastes take precedence over the algorithm.

[caption id="attachment_4998" align="aligncenter" width="326"] Sometimes relationships and tastes take precedence over the algorithm.[/caption]

As you know, social media is basically a 'network product' that obeys the rules of networks.

Simply put, it is as important to make a product or service well as to what kind of service the people around you use.

As such, in a social media platform, it is very important who uses the service.

Therefore, the nature and attractiveness of the platform are also determined by what age group and how it is mainly used.

If we look in more detail, the method of connection that Instagram pursues is slightly different from that of Facebook or YouTube.

To paraphrase Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok are, in the end, more of a square platform designed to increase in value as more people are exposed to it.

On the other hand, Instagram and Snap are closer to living-room-type services where people with similar tastes, values, or inclinations gather and socialize.

Therefore, Facebook has created a huge digital plaza by continuously increasing the number of possible connections. Since the connection is relatively limited due to the tastes and relationships that people do, the probability of encountering content they dislike is quite low compared to Facebook. Fatigue is much less.

And I tend to interpret this to mean 'still the relationship between taste and density precedes the algorithm'.

So it's a rough metaphor, but if Facebook has a strong feeling of shouting in the square, Instagram is much closer to the feeling of having a conversation with acquaintances in the living room.

And I also tend to think that users share their personal lives and lifestyles more comfortably and naturally because of the difference in the connection structure.

And although different people have different reasons for using social media... I think they can be divided into two main reasons.

The first is 'maintenance and extension of relationships'.

The use of social media to expand relationships through so-called networking or shallow connections.

The second is 'to consume content that fits one's taste and inclination'.

If you use social media without having to search frequently, you can access and consume your favorite content with a high probability through the network of relationships you have built up over the years.

I think Instagram is a platform that can adequately fulfill these two purposes.

Would it be said that it is a platform that allows unfamiliar connections based on taste?

And it seems that Instagram is the only digital service that simultaneously expands suitable connections and fills tastes.

3. Technologically, he followed the trend very well.

[caption id="attachment_4999" align="aligncenter" width="342"] Technologically, he followed the trend very well.[/caption]

And one of the biggest strengths of Instagram that I have felt while using Instagram is that it has been very smoothly adding the necessary functions from time to time.

As you know, in the early days of Instagram, where all you had to do was share only square images, direct messages, photo tags, search, upload multiple photos, algorithm recommendations, videos, story functions, payment... It was well integrated without compromising the experience of

Although many features were added, the user experience was not significantly compromised.

I tend to think that Instagram is doing a lot better on this task than Facebook. In particular, 'search' and 'video' are combined very well in Instagram's own way, whereas Facebook hardly responds properly.

So, in terms of user experience, Instagram often feels like a more complete service than any other social media.

Of course, it is difficult to say that most of these features were developed and tried by Instagram from the beginning.

However, wouldn't it still be the service that responded the most quickly to changes?

4. Business opportunities keep popping up

[caption id="attachment_5001" align="aligncenter" width="335"] Business opportunities keep popping up[/caption]

And no matter how hip and unique sensibility is... For service to grow steadily, it is difficult to create a driving force for continuous growth unless the values ​​created within it lead to business opportunities or momentum.

In the case of Instagram, as a major channel for influencer marketing, business opportunities continue to arise for users, and 'commerce' is the most disruptive on Instagram.

To the extent that it is surprising to a third party, Instagram is creating a new area called the SNS market by combining commerce perfectly.

Instagram is also adding necessary functions as a commerce channel, so I think it is necessary to pay attention to the destructive power of Instagram.

I think it would be very destructive if a more reliable operator with higher quality than now uses Instagram more seriously.

Of course, there are still many tasks to be improved in various fields, such as trust-building and quality control, but wouldn't that increase the number of people who find business opportunities in them, which in itself amplifies the attractiveness of using the service?

So, I wonder if more success opportunities will be created on Instagram in the future, and can these opportunities be viewed as factors that support the continued growth of Instagram?