The Eras of Instagram - A Walk Down Memory Lane
It’s common knowledge in the Marketing world that social media is *always* changing. And that is certainly the case with Instagram! From its very filtered origins to our current “don’t try too hard” aesthetic, the different eras of Instagram are worth walking down memory lane for.
The Filter Era
If you need a visual for what the filter era was all about, take a look at the first ever instagram post in 2010. We can’t be sure, but we think Mike Kriegar (op) may have used x-pro II, Nashville AND lomo-fi for this artsy post. If you know what we mean you may like this sticker 😉 The filter / og era of Instagram was all about heavy filters, pic collages, poor / no captions and as many #hashtags as was humanly possible. We miss it, but we don’t, ya feel?
The Curated Era
As Instagram grew in popularity, users began to curate their feeds, creating a cohesive aesthetic. Instagram became less of a spontaneous photo-sharing app and more of a platform for showcasing a highly-curated version of one's life. This transformation marked the rise of the influencer culture, with professional photographers, models, and brands meticulously planning each post to create a visually appealing feed. We still see a little influence from this era, but for the most part, we’re free from perfectly curating ev.ery.thing.
The Stories Era
In 2016, Instagram launched its Stories feature, offering a fresh, ephemeral way to share content. These 24-hour snapshots, an idea borrowed (or well, outright pasted) from Snapchat, allowed users to share their everyday moments without disrupting their curated feeds. The feature was an instant hit, providing a less polished, more authentic side to Instagram that is still incredibly valuable today.
The Instagram Shopping and IGTV Era
In a nod to the growing influence of social commerce, Instagram integrated shopping features, turning the app into a digital storefront. Brands could now tag products in their posts, turning Instagram into a hub for both discovery and purchase.
In 2018, Instagram further expanded its dominion with IGTV, moving beyond the square format and allowing for long-form video content. It was a strategic move to compete with YouTube and tap into the growing demand for video content (which, spoiler alert, has only gotten more intense)!
The Reel Era
Instagram's newest evolution has been the introduction of Reels, their response to the viral success (aka, competition) of TikTok. Reels allow users to create and share short seconds-long videos that embody everything about consumption culture: they’re quick, bite-sized, easily digestible, and infinitely scrollable.
The Now Era
Today, Instagram is shifting once again (surprise). The overly-curated feeds are making way for raw, authentic content. There's a conscious move towards being less polished, less perfect - call it the 'anti-aesthetic' if you will. Instagram is now a complex hybrid, a far cry from its origins, balancing the real and the ideal, the instantaneous and the everlasting, the candid and the curated.
But let’s be real, this is not the last era we will see in the evolution of Instagram. With fun app integrations like Threads popping up seemingly every week, it’s clear that Instagram isn't just a platform; it's a cultural phenomenon that's continuously evolving with us.
