Monday, March 26, 2012

NOT COOL Instagram Presentation

Not Cool Presentation

Instagram is a social media app focusing pictures. Users can upload pictures from their phone or take pictures through the app itself to share with their followers. Negatives of the app include logistical problems such as the 2"x2" photo grid, limited filters and inability to format multiple pictures into one image. And while there is a way to flag unsavory content, younger users can still easily access inappropriate images of things like illegal drug use and people practicing self-harm. There is also the potential for users to develop a skewed perception of themselves based on others' approving of their self image. If a teenage girl looks on the popular page and sees the skinny bikini model with 300 likes, while their smiling self portrait only received 15 likes, then our young teen will start to associate social acceptance with being a certain weight, having a certain style, or even being willing to expose themselves in more mature ways. While I personally LOVE this app, I recognize its drawbacks and realize that this push towards a more visual form of social media will have a huge impact on how we view ourselves and others.

Instagram "Not Cool" Prezi

4 comments:

  1. While I do agree with this view, I think the reasons are limited. I believe the skewed perception argument is a possibility for any social network. In Rosen's Rewired, he states that the iGeneration uses social networks as sources of positive reinforcement. If someone is depending on a social network for it and sees they aren't getting it then they will get a skewed perception.

    A reason that would have been interesting to discuss is what this means to professional photographers and others trained in photography. Does instagram make the average iPhone user the equal of a professional photographer? Does adding a special filter to a picture you took make you an artist? Is technology replacing skill sets in humans?

    Overall, good presentation and topic, but it's a another case of the negative being hard to support.

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  3. So yeah, overall I see this as a really cool way to interact with each other. It seems to offer a much better solution to communicating with others in the digital world than Facebook. One sign of this is where Turkle writes about "life mix" which is where the physical world combines with the virtual ones. It's not likely to discuss things on Facebook in real life because that has a sort of taboo to it unless it's a scandal or something completely mentionable. (194-198) I would think that Instagram would have a much better "life mix".

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  4. After this presentation, I signed up for Instagram to see what it was all about. Some of Elaina's points are valid. The 2"x2" grid is small, which gives users the choice to minimize their picture or find a new one to use. As far as unsavory content, that is a drawback for almost any internet or smartphone application nowadays. The way I see it, the app is intended for sharing photos with friends. This "unsavory content" won't just pop up on a user's screen, they would have to actively look for it. All in all, I am a fan of Instagram

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