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The history of instagram: 

Instagram is an app that gives people the chance to communicate with images, unlike other social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook who rely on text, Instagram users use images to socialize online. Since its launch in 2010 the instagram community grew to 1.386 billion members and is one of the most valued social media apps of our generation. But how did it start? 

Kevin Systrom created the app 11 years ago for his simple love of photography, not too long after the launch, the app had over one million users, when creating the app Systrom said that he took all the other options out and only left the option to upload photos, leaving a comment and liking,  this helped him envision the app. The name instagram came from the fact that people were sending instant telegram. The app was then bought by facebook in 2012 and the community has only grown since. 

Why do people love instagram so much? 

    

    According to recent surveys , teenagers say that they love instagram because it is a positive place where they feel comfortable. The survey also showed that a lot of people used the words "real content" to describe instagram and that made me think. What these people mean by real content is that they get to follow their favorite celebrities and see their everyday lives which makes it possible for them to relate and say " Hey, I can be like them". This is actually one of the biggest concerns that people have about instagram is that it gives people unrealistic expectations. 

    Instagram models for example are usually influencers who market products for companies through  their instagram. These specific people are chosen because they have a large following audience which provides good marketing for the brands, but these large amount of followers are usually people who want to be like these influencers
( dress like them, have their job, have their bodies ) And in a lot of cases these followers put in effort to look like their favorite celebrities. The problem is a lot of these pictures posted by these influencers are heavily photoshopped and modified... So people are setting unrealistic expectations for themselves which can cause severe mental and physical health issues. 

    This is an issue hurting millions of people all over the world which is why influencers have to speak up and share the fact that these pictures are not realistic. 

    Movements like these have started, instagram-versus-reality movement was initiated to show that we see on instagram isn't always a reality by putting pictures of influencers before and after their pictures had been modified. 

It is important to make sure that people make a difference between what they see online and reality and this applies to all social media apps. If people give too much importance to their online presence they might forget about the real one and live in a simulation.