A Picture Perfect Form of Communication

11-7-14

       Technology allows our lives to be constantly connected to people and to instant information. We continue to network ourselves via texting and through social media such as Instagram. While relatively new to the world of social media, the Instagram app has become widely popular amongst members of the millennial generation, and now has over 150 million active monthly users (Hof). Its photo-based medium is well-liked and easy to navigate. While critics argue that this app is distorting our opinion of people’s lives, it is said that our altered perceptions of people all depend on the photos that they choose to share (Byrne). Ultimately, Instagram has positively affected the millennial generation by allowing us to connect faster and easier.
       Instagram has become an important part of millennials daily routine. They are the first generation to use social media as a necessary communication tool, and now more than three-quarters of millennials have a profile on one of these networking sites (Seppan). Now, members of this generation want to take pictures whenever they feel like they are doing something interesting. Older generations find this habit annoying and don’t understand why we think it is beneficial to our lives. Since we take so many pictures, we are essentially documenting our lives through visual memories. We are able to look back on our electronic profiles, have a constant reminder of memories we have made, and are able to remember these moments instead of them slowly fading out of our minds. For me, I post pictures of both big and small moments on my Instagram. Small moments are often more sentimental, but tend to get lost in the shadows of my big memories. One of these small memories that I would have forgotten about had I not posted a picture on Instagram, was of an evening walk to the park with my sister and dog. We do this often, but one day, my sister and I decided to walk a little bit further so we could sit on the shore of the community lake. While resting on the sand, we talked for over an hour about our lives, college, funny memories, and random inside jokes. Before we decided to go home, my sister and I took a picture of my dog by the water and posted it on Instagram. Now, even though we are thousands of miles away from each other, I can still hear her laughter and remember our light-hearted conversation every time I see that picture on my profile. While we think that this is a suitable way of communicating our experiences with others, other generations are not so sure.
     
Where previous generations were thrilled to talk on the phone as their primary source of communication, millennials rarely speak on the phone, and prefer to communicate via photos. While text posts are informative and sometimes humorous, we now “want to share photos to describe life experiences” that words cannot explain (Hof). According to Jessi Hempel, senior writer for Fortune magazine, Millennials love this app because their generation is used to a “more visual style of communication.” Pictures are able to communicate far more than words can, which brings to mind the cliché, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
       Instagram motivates us to take pictures of what is happening in our everyday lives, and then share these images with our followers. Now we can converse with new people all over the world and learn about their lives and culture. New York Times journalist, Nick Bilton also claims that we can “engage in chatty conversations with strangers around the globe about their images.” In addition to learning about new people, we are also being constantly updated on what our family and friends are doing. This allows us to feel more connected regardless of how long it’s been since we spoke with them or how far away they are. Family in other states and even countries can have immediate access to what is going on in my life just by opening up this app. Since my friends and I started college, we haven’t seen each other, and I have only talked on the phone with a couple of them. However, I still know what is happening in their lives because of the pictures they share on Instagram. I know what sorority or fraternity they joined, who some of their friends are, and even what fun stuff they do in their spare time. These relationships that we build with others don’t always have to end with distance. Millennials have learned that the pictures on their profiles can even help them connect with their friends, and also help them network with professionals in the workforce.
       Due to the millennial generation’s appeal to technology, companies have adjusted their hiring processes and marketing campaigns (Maroney). Employers have learned that they can gather a lot of information about an applicant based on their social media accounts (Maroney). In fact, according to Greg Beaubien, writer for the Chicago Tribune, “a job candidate’s first –and possibly last –chance to make an impression is on these image-sharing apps.” This allows companies to gauge an applicant’s personality prior to interviewing (Beaubien). Also while scrolling through my followers’ posts, I might occasionally come across an ad. These ads range from pictures of food promoting a new restaurant’s menu or even pictures of models wearing clothes from a new department; all of which seem to be trending amongst millennials. These new marketing techniques allow companies to communicate faster and easier with the millennial generation, and encourage them to showcase their artistic talent.
       Instagram has helped to produce a generation of users who are more interested in photography because of the options they have with editing tools (Hempel).  Because of the simplicity of these filters, “Instagram let mainstream web users become -- or at least do an impression of -- good photographers. Regular people were now able to manipulate their photographs to reflect ideas and feelings” (Hempel). Recently, I noticed that Instagram also added more editing options which allow users to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and other specific tools. Now people have the tools available to make their photos look more professional. Instagram has become more popular than many of the other camera filter apps due to its “ease of use and balance of simplicity, speed and artistic fibers” (Bilton). Perhaps the reason millennials are so infatuated with posting pictures is because they are proud of the piece of art that they created by using these features.
       Despite the overwhelming popularity of this social app, Instagram also has many critics who are skeptical of the constant use by our generation. Some argue that the personalities of millennials are becoming narcissistic due to their constant need to post photos of themselves online. Also, it’s hard to judge someone’s true personality just by looking at their Instagram profile. Many people will post photos documenting all of the incredibly interesting things that happen in their lives and leave out all of their mediocre day to day activities. With our skewed perspective, we then begin comparing our average lives with the seemingly perfect lives of the people we follow. This routine is demonstrated by Mark Byrne, writer for New York Magazine and various online blogs, who talks about his first post on Instagram, “The first picture I took, later that night, was of a bottle of wine. I don't even like wine, and it wasn't my bottle. But no one needed to know that.” By sharing this information with his followers, he is posting a false portrayal of his lifestyle.

     However, it is ok to be proud of what you post online, even if it’s silly or too “perfect”. I am also one of those people who posts about random moments of my day. I believe the key is balance. The millennial generation needs to learn that it is ok to be average! It is ok to post a picture of yourself laying under the sun on a beach in Hawaii or one of your group of friends dressed in spirit wear at your school’s rival soccer game. Instagram is your own visual diary that you can share with the world (Hempel). Just don’t make your entire profile one cheesy vacation picture after another. Include a picture of you studying for your finals in the library or you enjoying a hot cup of tea after a long day. These self-deprecating photographs will relate more to others because they are realistic (Byrne). Instagram is altering our perspective on what it means to be human to imply that we are all perfect.
       Despite some criticisms, Instagram has helped shape the millennial generation for the better. This form of communication keeps us connected with our family and friends, and also allows us to get a taste of cultures in different parts of the country. It has given us the tools we need to create professional looking photographs, and then to share these images around the world. Therefore, Instagram has shaped the millennials into a generation that is by far the most well networked group of individuals our society has ever seen.

 
Works Cited

Beaubien, Greg. “Visual Creatives Using Instagram as Portfolio.” Public Relations Tactics. 21.5. EBSCO. May 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014
Bilton, Nick. "A Million Users for Instagram." New York Times (1923-Current file). Dec 27 2010. ProQuest. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Byrne, Mark. "Warning: You Might Be an Insta-Dick." GQ. Condé Nast, June 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
Hempel, Jessi. “Instagram is Ready to Take its Shot.” Fortune. 170.1 (2014): 72-78. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2014
Hoff, Robert. "So Much For Facebook Ruining Instagram - It Just Hit 150 Million Monthly Active Users." Forbes Magazine, 8 Sept. 2013. n. pag. Web. 30 Oct.           2014.
Hussey, Matthew. "What Does Your Instagram Filters Say about You?" Apowl. A Parliament of Owls, 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Maroney, Lindsey. "Targeting the Millennial Consumer." CMBinfo. Chadwick Martin Bailey Research, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Seppanen, Sally. "The Millennial Generation Research Review." U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. National Chamber Foundation, 2012. Web. 30 Oct.                2014.