Social Media Analysis Paper

Frankie Carbajal

COMM 3240

Dr. Baron

13 November 2014

Social Media Analysis: The Instagram

Out of all the social media applications, there is only one platform that is infamous for the “selfie” – Instagram. Instagram is the place where pictures of people’s pets, amazing or not amazing home cooked meals, and narcissistic self-taken photographs thrive. Instagram is known as a mobile photo-sharing app, but it is also a social network. It's a lot like Twitter with followers, only instead of real-time text updates, you provide photo updates with comments. The app enables you to alter the photos you take with your phone by adding filtered layers that imitate the look of low-end film cameras. When you take a good picture but you just

("Why Is Instagram So Popular?"). What makes this better than Vine, is that the videos can be up to twelve seconds instead of six. This paper will discuss what exactly makes Instagram work in a social networking aspect, and how successful branding is on this platform.

When Instagram launched in March 2010, it took until the end of that year to gain its millionth user but from there its ascent was crazy. Just 15 months later, there are now more than 30 million account holders and a billion pictures on the site's servers, like Facebook. ("Instagram Statistics | TOTEMS). Instagram's availability of filters allows it’s users to mimic some of the processes photographers used to make their photography look good- such as the super-saturated colors created cross-processing slides in negative chemicals, or using expired films, muted colors, or playing around with camera settings or darkroom equipment to boost contrast or the brightness ("Has Instagram"). With that said, one of the main attractions of Instagram, is that the everyday person can be a

Over 2500 brands have already joined the social platform. According to a recent report released by research firm L2 Instagram advertises the most engagement and the highest conversion from browser to shopper. The report also shows that 92% of luxury brands who post an average of 5.5 times a week on Instagram increase their customer base. ("How The Most Successful”). The top 50 brands on Instagram have on average 15 million followers, and an average of 2 million posts by users on Instagram mention each of these brands. This is definitely a great way to spread your brand or name. For example, Nike, the most Instagrammed brand, has 23 million posts mentioning the hashtag #Nike ("Instagram Statistics | TOTEMS"). Instagram can be used in many ways for brands. First, brands could use Instagram to show consumers using their products. That is a great way to show off a product. Secondly, brands could use Instagram to show the “behind the scenes” of their work. For example, a clothing brand could show a modeling shoot of their new line of clothes. Another way brands could use Instagram is by using hashtags when posting their