We Are Instagram

Instagram has always been a community and will continue to be, but the community has grown. Today, Instagram released video capabilities for the platform. Yes, video on Instagram. 

A few days ago, before the announcement I was a little upset about the possibility. To be honest, I still have my reservations. But after having the chance to meet the team and get to know them a little they love this community. They wouldn’t do anything if it wasn’t for the good of the community. Yes, obviously there is money involved. When is there not? But I’d like to think the foundational intention was pure--capture moments.

Kevin said that video would have been introduced with the original app if mobile devices in 2010 had the capability of doing video fast, simple and clean. (This was Instagram basically saying they had the idea before Vine.)   

Vines from the Living Wall at Instagram HQ

Instagram will never be exactly the same. But like anything digital if you don’t evolve you will fall behind. Instagram saw the opportunity and jumped at it. Honestly, Vine brought back the concept. Not that Vine has been crazy successful, but it opened back up the possibility. 

Photo is not video and will never be. Photos give the viewer more ownership over the story. It leaves open gaps for you to fill in. You get the opportunity to imagine the story and what it could be. Video obviously tells more of the story through sound, moving images and overall feeling. Giving less authorship to the viewer. Neither are inherently better. Just different. 

Personally, I started in photography first because I didn’t really understand video. The learning curve with video for me has been big. I feel like I am just now understanding it 6 years later. But I never learned until I started dabbling in it. But I feel the same way with photography it is a constant process of learning and dabbling. I think the same was true for photos and will be true for video on Instagram. The learning curve may be big, but my hope is Vine helped jumpstart the process. 

Nevertheless, Vine and Instagram are very different. Yes, they both have video now. But Vine will always be about comedy and entertainment to me. I think it is a great outlet for that and something Vine needs to ,now more than ever, capitalize on or else it’s bye bye Vine. Remember EyeEm? Instagram video is more about beauty and capturing a single moment. And currently that moment has to be captured and posted in that moment. There is no capability of importing video after the fact. High fives for no #latergram videos.

Video on Instagram holds major possibility. As a community we need to help set the standard for what video should be on Instagram. Just like we currently do with photos.

Instagram is community, Instagram is photos and Instagram is now video. The platform and family are growing.

We didn’t all start as incredible photographers on instagram and we won’t all start as incredible videographers. I think Instagram has made me an expert in how to capture a moment. This skill translates to any medium: photos, videos, painting, sculpture. 

But Instagram is more than videos and photos or whatever else they introduce. It is community. And if this core foundational concept changes then, well Instagram is no longer Instagram. There is no intention of dropping this community, so take a deep breath and put down the axes. Instagram is not going anywhere and neither am I.

We are artists. We are Influencers. We are Instagram.