Instagram Is The Future Of Photojournalism
INSTAGRAM IS IMPROVING THE FUTURE OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
Through Instagram, photojournalists are bringing their photos of social and economical events to the forefront of cultural opinion.
This section I’ll identify the need for change by showing how the public are demanding information to be instantaneous. Breaking news can be accessed 24 hours a day on Twitter and Facebook. Photojournalism is now following suit with Instagram.
Chapter One: Instagram & Photojournalism
In this section I will be defining what Instagram is and what appeal it has to its users both professionally and personally. Also looking at photojournalism before it spread itself onto the social networking platform.
- Instagram
Instagram was created and launched in October 2010 and quickly amassed a following of over 100 million users by April 2012. The social networking app is an online photo and video sharing service that enables users to take pictures and share them on a variety of other social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Part of the Instagram mission statement from founder and
CEO, Kevin Systrom is that “You want to have an instant interaction with other people with similar question or interest”[1]. Therefore this instant communication allows for photojournalist’s work to be seen by thousands of users on one simple interface, helping these social and economical stories to gain more exposure.
- Photojournalism
Photojournalism has been around for decades but in a modern world it has transformed itself to adapt to the constant digital change resulting in more exposure to both photojournalists and the subjects and events their photos are documenting. Before this digital expansion, photojournalism was restricted to newspapers, magazines and television which weren’t accessible 24 hours on demand. This often delayed public response to huge stories around the globe as it restricted public knowledge therefore hindering responsive action. I will compare two photojournalism stories
Through Instagram, photojournalists are bringing their photos of social and economical events to the forefront of cultural opinion.
This section I’ll identify the need for change by showing how the public are demanding information to be instantaneous. Breaking news can be accessed 24 hours a day on Twitter and Facebook. Photojournalism is now following suit with Instagram.
Chapter One: Instagram & Photojournalism
In this section I will be defining what Instagram is and what appeal it has to its users both professionally and personally. Also looking at photojournalism before it spread itself onto the social networking platform.
Instagram was created and launched in October 2010 and quickly amassed a following of over 100 million users by April 2012. The social networking app is an online photo and video sharing service that enables users to take pictures and share them on a variety of other social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Part of the Instagram mission statement from founder and
CEO, Kevin Systrom is that “You want to have an instant interaction with other people with similar question or interest”[1]. Therefore this instant communication allows for photojournalist’s work to be seen by thousands of users on one simple interface, helping these social and economical stories to gain more exposure.
- Photojournalism
Photojournalism has been around for decades but in a modern world it has transformed itself to adapt to the constant digital change resulting in more exposure to both photojournalists and the subjects and events their photos are documenting. Before this digital expansion, photojournalism was restricted to newspapers, magazines and television which weren’t accessible 24 hours on demand. This often delayed public response to huge stories around the globe as it restricted public knowledge therefore hindering responsive action. I will compare two photojournalism stories
References: - Dpreview.com, (2012). BJP looks at Instagram and what it means for professional photographers: Digital Photography Review. [online] Available at: http://www.dpreview.com/ articles/1798259572/the-new-economics-of-photojournalism [Accessed 24 Oct - Ed Kashi, (2013). Photojournalism and Instagram - Ed Kashi. [online] Available at: http:// edkashi.com/photojournalism-and-instagram/ [Accessed 20 Oct - Forbes, (2012). Why Time Magazine Used Instagram To Cover Hurricane Sandy. [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2012/11/01/why-time-magazine-used-instagram-to-cover-hurricane-sandy/ [Accessed 21 Oct - Instagram, (2014). Instagram Blog. [online] Available at: http://blog.instagram.com/ post/50018716356/photojournalists-sharing-the-world-through [Accessed 22 Oct - Lister, M. (2013). The photographic image in digital culture. 2nd ed. London: Routledge. - Lybarger, J. (2014). Can Photojournalism Survive in the Instagram Era?. [online] Mother Jones - Schonfeld, E. (2014). (Founder Stories) Instagram CEO: “The Best Products In The World Start Out As Features” | TechCrunch com/2011/02/03/founder-stories-instagram-products/ [Accessed 19 Oct. 2014]. - TIME.com, (2014). Meet TIME’s International Photo Editor. [online] Available at: http://lightbox.time.com/2014/10/17/meet-times-international-photo-editor/#1 [Accessed 22 Oct. 2014].