By Roberta Nin Feliz
With so many social media networks, the competition between websites is booming. It’s come to the point where I find myself having to update each app almost once a week! A few months ago when the website Vine (a network used to upload approximately 6.5 second videos) became popular, Instagram (originally just a photo-sharing social network) began enabling users to upload videos as well, and longer ones at that. Almost immediately, Vine videos became a lot less common with users using Instagram to upload videos instead. Like Adam Smith said, “Competition ensures good quality” right? Yet competition does not ensure the good quality product being used in a “good way” per se. For example, Apple could invent the best computer in the world but that doesn’t guarantee that people will use the computer for all it has to offer.
Vine videos although shorter, were usually funnier and more entertaining than the videos on Instagram. Vine videos didn’t disappear altogether but they are certainly less popular now that Instagram has videos. On social networks like Facebook, many teens commented on how they had just made a Vine and now it’s not “popping” anymore so they stopped using the app. The funny, quirky and original Vine videos are still preserved on some Facebook pages like “Funniest Vines” but the distribution of the videos was a lot more efficient before Instagram videos came into play.
Recently, Instagram introduced a new feature called “ Instagram Direct” which now enables users to send pictures to their followers. The introduction of this new feature could possibly trigger a decline in usage for the common apps like Kik or Snapchat as previously seen with Vine. Although it may seem like a positive feature at first, I see a lot of future problems arising from Instagram Direct. For starters the Instagram Direct button is right next to the public button. How might this be a problem you may ask, isn’t this more convenient for users? Well what happens when someone means to send a picture and makes the picture public? This could lead to someone accidentally leaking a picture on the internet for millions of people to see.
Not only that but any one of your followers can send you pictures at any given moment. In this day and age, one of the most important things amongst teens is to have a lot of followers. On Instagram, many of the followers teens have aren’t necessarily people they know. This being said, any one of these strangers following teens on Instagram could send a picture at any given moment. There are a lot of crazy people on the internet and one day that crazy person could decide to send you or me a crazy/inappropriate picture. I’m sure Instagram gives users the option to report the user or unfollow them, but once the picture has been seen, the damage has already been done. Who knows how distressing seeing an inappropriate picture could be for people, not just teens, all over the world?
On the other hand, this new feature could also serve as a unifying force. Nowadays, it is very common for people, especially teens, to meet over Instagram and hit it off from there. There would usually have to be an exchanging of numbers, Kiks, Facebooks, etc., under a picture if people wanted to talk. Now with Instagram Direct, the middleman is removed and people can easily, instantly communicate with one another. Imagine being able to send your Instagram crush a picture about how you feel without having to go through the nerve-racking task of asking for their number.
The effect this new feature will have on teens is still unknown. For now, it seems to be working in favor of Instagram users, but who knows what problems could arise from this innovation. One thing’s for sure… I sure am tired of having to update my Instagram app so often!