Back in June, our MD Rick blogged about the decline of print media and the bright future ahead for social media platforms to share content. In my eyes, a rising star in this field that simply cannot be ignored is Instagram.
The photo sharing platform, most famously associated with hot dog legs, Kim Kardashian’s selfies and more food snaps than you could digest in a year, is fast becoming the go-to app of the social media savvy.
More than 75 million people log in to Instagram everyday and in 2015, 20% of internet users are expected to use the app on a regular basis.
With a readership which dwarves even the largest of newspaper giants, it is unsurprising Instagram is beginning to move away from airplane wings and cats, and evolve into the world of journalism.
One innovative way Instagram has accommodated this shift is through sharing short news snippets in unique 15 second videos. We are a generation who are on the go, constantly taking in information only to discard it minutes later for the next best thing. Short sharp blasts of news are digestible for viewers with limited time. The Huffington Post and BBC News have championed this new approach of modern day news reporting.
A second way Instagram is changing the way we absorb news is by journalists adding short text profiles alongside eye catching images. This allows the news to be summarised in Instagram’s limited word count whilst allowing visual content to aid the readers understanding of the story. Fantastic examples of this new style of journalism can be found here and here.
Regardless on where you stand on the debate over whether Instagram is a dumping ground for mindless photography, there is no denying that for PRs and brands it is one to watch out for.