Indeed, Alessandro, an Italian guy in his late 30s working as a digital strategist, believes that what revolves around mobile photography is not only about Instagram as a photosharing platform. He believes that Instagram is ‘the tip of the iceberg’, that opens discussion on mobile technologies and visual communication towards new social perspectives and applications. This approach justifies the division of this section in phases that reflect the multiplicity of the subject. In order to discuss changes in the mediated practice of photosharing, it is helpful to understand why and how Instagram became a popular app.
Generally, users started to became aware of Instagram because of the combination of two factors. One reason can be identified in technological advancement. Indeed, the launch of the Apple iPhone4 smartphone was a turning point for the advance of Instagram, in particular because the new model introduced the new highquality resolution ‘retina display’ (it is a brand name used by Apple to define screens that have a pixel density high enough to enable the perception of single pixels at classic viewing distance). The iPhone4 was also the first to include a front-facing camera. Technological improvements towards better visual experiences were significant for the progressive shift from the use of digital cameras to the almost exclusive use of smart mobile devices to such an extent that people asked: Can you make phone calls on that camera?
The increased use of smart mobile devices at the expense of digital cameras mainly involved their high-image resolution, easy mobility, and the Internet connectivity. The convergent possibility of doing different things on the same device facilitated the process. Previously, mobile phones equipped with a camera did not have enough resolution to produce ‘good photographs’. Also, photo editing was a process that required time and professional software available only for computers and laptops. Therefore, the process of taking photographs, editing and uploading them on the Internet were processes that required the transfer of the images through two devices (from the camera to the computer), the use of specific photo editing software (such as Adobe Photoshop, Photo Explosion and Photo Plus) and the final upload on photosharing platforms like Flickr, other social networks or storage in a personal computer folder. The iPhone4 enclosed all these actions into one single device.
The use of Instagram was easy and engaging for photography lovers, and soon after its launch, the app startecollect many users who found using it ‘very rewarding’, especially when receiving social interaction such as likes and positive comments. This type of interaction acts similarly to the motivation of self-satisfaction and recognition experienced in online activities. Regarding this, for example, Alessandro said that what motivates him to be an active Instagram user is that it gives him satisfaction, like recompense for his work. More interactions users experience on the platforms, the more it makes them happy. Social responses, in fact, give users an hint to continue with their Instagram experience. For users, social interactions are another reason that motivates the use of Instagram (see Chapter 2). In fact, many users started to use Instagram because of their interest in what other friends were ‘having fun with’, and this influenced their choice to try the application. It is not difficult to understand that the spirit of connectivity guided people to follow their peers’ preferences and so use Instagram rather than another photosharing app.
Essentially, users’ encounters with Instagram happened through the combination of both technological developments and social relationships. Thanks to smart phones, people are more willing to capture what happens around them because they now have both the possibility and the place to share them. The use of a precise verb (to Instagram) connected to the act of sharing photos on Instagram leads us to think about the evident change that the platform makes. Manovich, for instance, defined Instagrammism as the particular type of photography that the platform generates. Indeed, there are photos that users post that have a precise connection with the platform. Users might not think ahead or plan when they take photographs; however, when they upload them on Instagram, they follow precise strategies on when and how.
In this, the mobility of smart phones is an important element in order to capture worthy images. Michela, for example, says that if she has many beautiful photos on Instagram, it is because she came very close to the subject. This comment reminds of the inspiring and famous quote of the war photographer Robert Capa, which says: ‘If your pictures are not good enough, you are not close enough.’ From this emphasis on closeness, the mobility of the device seems to be clearly making a difference in visual production and in the type of photographs that users usually upload on Instagram. Many users experience the mobility of smart mobile devices as a crucial element in capturing new scenarios. The chance of taking photographs anytime and anywhere augments the possibilities of capturing situations, objects and moments that many think ‘must’ be posted on Instagram.
Within this panorama, photosharing, allowing an overwhelming spread of images that Rubinstein describes as real contemporary visual speeches, appears to be one activity that describes sociality online, connecting people to their visual contents. From a previous understanding of the practice of photosharing, the presence of precise motivations, types of organisation and visual transformations that disclose common patterns, it is useful to discuss additional examples that critically show how Instagram leads to new practices of online photosharing.
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