What is Instagram?


Posted on June 13th, by Cathy Olsen in Popular, Social Media, Tutorial. No Comments

 

 

What is Instagram?

 

Have you seen this logo before? Either on your kids phone, iTouch? What is Instagram? You just got used to using Facebook. Your kids have accounts but haven't posted anything in months. Why do I always hear and see stuff coming from Instagram?

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a social media app with 100 million users. The application can link to an existing Facebook,Twitter, Tmblr, foursquare, Picassa account.
Istagram is a social media network built around photos. An Instagram user can take a picture or use an existing photo and resize it to a nice square image with filter options. The Instagram user can tag other users and use hashtags to better organize and interact with other Instagram users.
Typically people like to take artsy “Slice of Life” pictures and post them with hashtags to get more likes and increase their following.
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What is so great about Instagram?

Instagram has over 100 million users. Instagram is a really easy way to share a moment from your day with friends. You don't have to worry about tagging the picture or creating an album. It only takes a few seconds to grab the photo from your phone, add a quick comment and post. Quick! Since you can link Instagram to your other social media accounts, its a one stop shop!

Instagram does not have ads. I don't know about you, but I am so frustrated with Facebook Ads. I don't care about the house for sale in my town or a new diet pill. The Facebook ads on the mobile app are ridiculous. Instgram allows you to connect and share without distractions.

Instagram has some fun games. Like any social media network there are some games or fads that can be fun. #tbt means “Throw Back Thursday” where you find a funny old picture and post it on a Thursday. There are sometimes month campaigns to get a picture of specific item for each day of the month.

Instagram is a playground for kids. You may be thinking from the view of your kids Facebook account that they have cut down on their social media usage. Not so much. Kids are using Instagram and Twitter.

Instagram privacy settings are simple. I don't know about you, it is frustrating that you have to check and re-check every 6 months. Instagram privacy is pretty straightforward.

Instagram Settings

Instagram Privacy Settings

Instagram was built for people to create a ‘following.’ However, for myself and for kids that have an Instagram account you should probably make their Instagram account private. They will still be able to interact with friends, but they will have to approve anyone that wants to follow their Instagram feed. See Tutorial Below. Just like you worry about the one billion Facebook users that may be able to see your kids information, you should still be wary of the 1oo million users on Instagram. If their Instagram feed is public, college admissions, potential employers, and scholarship administrators will be able to see all of their posts.

Some teenagers are budding photographers. They may like to put multiple hashtags on each Instagram picture to get more followers and likes. If this is the case, let them set up a separate account which is dedicate to photography. They are not posting pictures of themselves, friends or their location to random strangers.

Who you Follow on Instagram

Some Instagram users have created a following because of the theme or types of subjects pictures that they take. Be wary of your kids following strangers because it is difficult to regulate all of the pictures that are posted on Instagram. Nudity is not allowed on Instagram but lude and suggestive pictures may not be taken off. If you your kids see a picture that is inappropriate you can report it so it can be removed. See Tutorial Below.

GeoTagging in Instagram

You can add your location to your Instagram posts. Kids really shouldn't be tagging their exact location in real time photos. Many adults like to share their location, which can be fun if they are bragging about a vacation. Even though it is fun, it is not very secure. Don't over advertise when you go out of town. If you want to check into a location, post it as you are leaving. Check your Instagram settings to make sure Geotagging is turned off.

 

Instagram GeoTag

Instagram Comments, User Interaction

Because you cannot 'tag' photos of users within the picture, typically Instagram users tag the Instagram user in the comment. It is difficult to moderate any interactions within Instagram comment tags. If there is mean or abusive behavior occuring, consider blocking or reporting the Instagram user. See Tutorial Below. Because of the limited settings available, you may also think about deleting your kids Instagram account.

Instagram Privacy Tutorial

1. Click on your Instagram profile icon.

2. Click on 'Edit Your Profile.'

3. Turn on 'Photos are Private.'

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Instagram Report and Block Users Tutorial

1. Navigate to the Instagram user's profile page. (1. Search on Instagram 2. Type in their username 3. Tap on their username)

2. Tap on the 'Share Button' on the top right.

3. Tap “Block User” if you do not want any interaction with the user.

4. Tap “Report for Spam” if the Instagram user is repeatedly posting the same picture or spamming your account with comments.

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Instagram Report Inappropriate Photos Tutorial

1. Click on the '…' icon on the bottom right.

2. Click on the appropriate reason why you are reporting the image.

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