{"id":5104,"date":"2012-08-13T13:36:38","date_gmt":"2012-08-13T20:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/breyeschow\/?p=5104"},"modified":"2012-08-14T10:15:58","modified_gmt":"2012-08-14T17:15:58","slug":"three-reasons-you-should-try-instagram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/breyeschow\/2012\/08\/13\/three-reasons-you-should-try-instagram\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Reasons You Should Try Instagram"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Recent images (as of July 29, 2012) from my Instagram activity. Compiled by statigr.am.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

By now most of you have heard of Instagram<\/a>. Not only did Facebook buy this fledgling company for a bazzillion dollars<\/a>, but for many folks it has become the social media platform of choice. The reason that I too have\u00a0gravitated\u00a0to Instagram might be that my\u00a0twitter<\/a>\u00a0and facebook<\/a> feeds\u00a0are getting more and more difficult to track or that I am more a\u00a0visual\u00a0person, but whatever the case, I have found myself thinking Instagram first in my social networking life.<\/p>\n

I asked some people to share why they use Instagram here<\/a>\u00a0and offer\u00a0three more reasons you might want to give Instagram a try.<\/p>\n

ONE \u2013 We are given the power to\u00a0unleash the artsy fartsy creative monster within.<\/strong> With all the basic Instagram app features EVERYONE can find the artist within. We each see\u00a0beauty\u00a0in different things whether it is\u00a0architecture, food, nature or the city and now we can share those passions in a new way.\u00a0Using the\u00a0different editing tools:\u00a0filters, focusing, brightness, etc. it does not take much to create a picture that looks very cool and better captures what we are trying to say through a\u00a0particular\u00a0image.\u00a0Case in point, this is a picture I snapped during a recent coffee stop at Cup in the Glen Park area of San Francisco. It is just three drinks: a latte, a havana and a hot chocolate, but with a few edits . . . voila, artsy beyond my own true ability.<\/p>\n

TWO \u2013 We see the world in new ways through the eyes and words of our\u00a0friends.<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0One of the greatest surprises as I have gotten into Instagram has been being able to see another side of people I know. While Instagram allows us all to be artsy, people still have to decide what images to share. Many times a day, as I scroll through images of those I follow, I\u00a0find myself thinking, \u201cWow, that is a really cool shot!\u201d \u00a0or \u201cHmmm, I had no idea that he liked X.\u201d The angles, objects and stories that people choose to capture can share a whole other side to a person\u2019s personality and perspective that we don\u2019t always see through words. For instance, if you had not known me before, you might not have known that our family is a big Oakland A\u2019s family, now you do. Go A\u2019s!<\/p>\n

THREE \u2013 We create a scrapbook for ourselves and our families.<\/strong>\u00a0As with Twitter and Facebook, I am most interested in the in-between moments of life that help me to see the complexity of humanity.\u00a0 Through capturing images of children, pets, food, buildings, etc. we are given a glimpse into the ongoing\u00a0journey\u00a0of life that folks are living. As look back on my own photo feed, I am\u00a0given\u00a0a\u00a0visual\u00a0reminder of some of our memorable moments in life. Yep, that\u2019s us fishing.<\/p>\n

Of course none of these services come without some cautions to think about. Now that Instagram is owned by Facebook, some have raised concerns about privacy, photo\u00a0ownership\u00a0and other issues about the general usage if both services. You can read some of that here<\/a>, here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In future posts I\u2019ll compile some tips\/apps to\u00a0enhance\u00a0your Instagram experience, but until then, download the app for your iPhone of Android (Yes, it\u2019s a smart phone-only app) and dive in.\u00a0Here are a few folks who I would suggest you follow as you get started.<\/p>\n