Instagram has emerged as the default place to get famous. The world of Instagram is nothing less than that of showbiz, a place where everything is nice and glittery and everyone is beautiful. However, is Instagram really the awesome place it presents itself to be?
Maybe, no. Behind all the glamour, there are some serious shortcomings. Yet, it can’t be said that Instagram is terrible, by any stretch. So, here we are with the pros and cons of Instagram to make it easy for you to understand.
Pros Of Instagram
Medium That Is Very Visual
Instagram is all about sharing photos. From sharing your new haircut and dress to some new cuisine or location, there is nothing you can’t share with the world. And a large number of amazing filters makes it an even more beautiful experience. By applying a filter, you can add more charm or glamour to your photos. Although, don’t use them that much, let your photos be true in most cases.
Effective Promotion
Originally began (like most social media sites) as a way to connect with others, Instagram today works as an effective marketing strategy. Established brands reserve their Instagram pages for showcasing their products, while new startups find it easier to create an audience via images here. Even individuals like models and artists can showcase their works and create a fan base. Instagram serves as an important platform today for social media marketing.
More Appealing Interface
One of the biggest advantages of Instagram is its interface. With so much visual content, you would expect it to be slow and messy. Contrary to that, Instagram is very neat and organized. Unlike Facebook, there is no flood of information that you can barely process. Also, the platform allows you to organize your profile in a very efficient manner, such that it has a nice appeal to it. This appeal is one of the reasons why people rushed towards Instagram despite other photo-sharing platforms.
Great For Travelers
Even though unintentionally, Instagram has emerged as a great hub for travelers. The geo-tagging feature works smoothly, allowing you to add the location of the pictures. Furthermore, you can see the other (public) photos shared by people who were at the same location.
Strict Privacy
Unlike other platforms, Instagram takes privacy very seriously. If you want your photos to remain private between your followers, then private they shall remain. There is no means to bypass privacy settings. Even the profile picture is private. Instagram also doesn’t allow the downloading of photos, though there are other means to do that.
Effective Features
Unlike Facebook (which gives a variety of useless features), Instagram is clear about what they should provide their users with. Apart from photo-sharing and filters, there is also the feature to share videos and live streams. You can also share stories, which would disappear after a day.
Quite smartly, Instagram provides additional functionalities via other apps, like Boomerang and Photo Grid.
And don’t forget that while posting to Instagram, you can seamlessly share your photos to your Facebook.
IGTV And Reels
When Instagram first enabled the users to share videos along with photos, the length of the video was restricted under 1 minute. But that changed with the introduction of Instagram TV or the IGTV.
On IGTV, you can upload videos of any length you want, which is awesome. Moreover, because of this, the entertainment factor with Instagram just reached another level. Now, users are exposed to a plethora of video content on Instagram, like compilations of funny videos and even movie trailers. Surely with IGTV, Instagram has become so much more than just a platform to share photos.
Instagram Business Profile
If you’re an influencer or a brand, then you must know what I am talking about. The thing is that you can very easily switch from your Instagram personal profile to a Business profile. But what are the benefits? Well, if you are promoting something on Instagram, then you have to make it easy for the people to contact you. And in the business account, your profile will show a “Contact” button.
Moreover, you get to decide what happens when people click on that button. Like you can enable the users to email, view your location, and call you through that button. And talking about connectivity, in Business profile, you can embed links to your stories if you have more than 10,000 followers. So, you can direct your viewers to the landing page with much more ease. Pretty convenient, right?
Cons Of Instagram
Overwhelming Advertisements
Of course, we’ve already applauded for the fact that Instagram is one of the best social media platforms to promote yourself or your brand. That said, too much of anything is a curse, and that’s the same thing that’s happening with Instagram. Instagram has become a place where you are bombarded with too many advertisements or sponsored posts.
Apparently, from companies to individuals, everyone can promote themselves on Instagram by taking out some bucks out of there pocket. But that shouldn’t be a bad thing, right? Well, it is seen as a bad thing when you see an advertisement after every 4-5 of your friends’ posts.
Creates The Need For A Fake Life
The most negative phenomenon observed after the popularity of Instagram was the sudden surge of teenage celebs. People became famous overnight for something that went viral, garnering thousands of followers. This created a craving in everyone’s heart to become famous. So many people tend to create a fake life, which they share on Instagram to get famous. This need for validation and fame is highly toxic, and teenagers are the ones most affected by it.
Fewer Features On Web
If you have ever used the web version of Instagram, then you might have realized that it lacks many features. Instagram is keeping its users close to the app and not providing much access to the web version. However, Instagram is slowly rolling out the same features of the app on its official website, like stories and others. But we cannot expect all the features on the web soon.
Addictive!
Another disadvantage is the addiction associated with Instagram. Like most social media platforms, Instagram suffers from toxic addiction. A huge number of people spend their days glued to the app. Even those who do not seek validation by uploading pictures spend their entire day viewing photos of others. In any scenario, this is a terrible waste of time.
Technical Drawbacks
Despite the great interface and features, Instagram suffers from many technical drawbacks.
The platform is optimized only for the app, hence its web-version is terrible.
The images are not optimized for every shape, like on Facebook.
The privacy settings are global, and cannot be set for individual photos. Also, third-party apps can compromise your account and subscribe you to a bunch of random accounts.
The tech support is not great. If you experience errors browsing your Instagram feed (for example, if you cannot refresh it or it does not post a photo) or problems with sharing your photos in other apps (for example, photos are not shared to Facebook), you will most likely be on your own to solve the problem.
Recommended Read: How To Add Temperature To Instagram Story
Learn More About The Pros And Cond Of IG
Watch Kitty Contemplations explaining it:
Why is Instagram not good?
Instagram is not good because the photo-based platform is focused on the external part of life (as opposed to internal e.g. thoughts, feeling, reflections). It has been associated with increased anxiety, depression, bullying.
Is Instagram free to use?
Instagram is free to use; however, it injects ads into your feed and you “pay” by watching them.
Which is better FB or Instagram?
To understand which is better, FB or Instagram, look at your goals and the preferred type of posts. Image posts do much better on Instagram; meanwhile, text posts do better on Facebook.
Should You Run Away From Instagram?
Instagram is an amazing app and a great platform for sharing photos and exploring the world.
However, caution has to be exercised while using it, as now you are aware of the pros and cons of Instagram. The need for validation, obsession for fame, and addiction to an app are all toxic behavior and must be avoided at all costs. Parents should be aware that the impact of Instagram on kids can be especially bad.
If you need an app for mostly sharing your photos with friends, consider using WhatsApp. While it also has its own pros and cons, it’s far less addictive.
As long as you are aware of a potentially negative impact and are trying to avoid it, Instagram would remain a great platform for killing the time. However, if you are tired of it and looking for an alternative platform, check out our list of apps like Instagram. You may discover some other amazing platforms!
