In the early 2010s, several big tech shifts allowed people to change their behavior on social media.
First, it was the
iPhone with a good camera, and the second was
3G internet (fast mobile internet).
With a good camera, everyone could become a content creator, and with fast mobile internet, everyone could consume content. This was the perfect time to create a mobile-first photo-sharing app. We all know the name of this app.
Kevin Systrom, the co-founder of Instagram, asked his wife why she didn’t post photos. She said her photos were ugly and she was shy to share them. After Kevin showed her a paid app called
Hipstamatic that could add filters to photos, his wife said he definitely should add this to his previous app,
Burbn.
How it ended, we all know.
Beautiful filters allowed everyone to create beautiful content and not feel embarrassed about it.
There’s a huge difference between the
“Facebook Era” when people like me could easily post photos from a drunk party, but my girlfriend was shy to do the same.
With Instagram filters, every user could become a creator.