Raise your hand if you do not use or have an Instagram account.  With Instagram currently holding over 600 million monthly users, it is not surprising that if you are under the age of 35, you are a part of the statistic.  Yet an entity so vast would have to hold incredible influence, right? Right.

Instagram is changing the rhetoric around us in an almost seemingly invisible way.  It appears to be a silent influence, because Instagram tugs a heavy pull on the way we share and view art, fashion, fame, food, travel, and activism to name a few.  The world of art and fashion now have an exponentially greater visibility to the average social user, intertwining marketing and artistic value.  Celebrities now have much greater control over the dialogues in which they share with the public.  They are the ones deciding to share their baby bumps and engagement rings, which has even lead to friction and decline of the importance of paparazzi.  For example, maybe if Brittany Spears would have had access to photo sharing with her fans during her tumultuous time in 2007, she would not have had that infamous run-in with the umbrella smashing a paparazzi’s window.  Maybe.

Yet even the way we can share images of food has been influenced by the way others will see what is on our plate.  Perhaps we are more adventurous in our culinary interests now, or merely are there for the aesthetics.  Either way, without Instagram, there would be no “Food Porn” or sharing of images that evoke envy from followers that are not able to enjoy what is in front of you on your plate.  In another way, Instagram thrives off of the aesthetics involved in travel.  Now, incredible numbers of photos of remote areas of the world are at the user’s fingertips.  I would even argue that iconic travel destinations become even more famous due to the greater exposure.

Socially, Instagram has some of its greatest influence through hashtags, especially hashtags about activism. Instagram is the perfect campaigning tool if you think about it.  One can edit their photos to be as attractive as possible, and use a common hashtag to unite the masses.  Politicians, journalists, and activists can all benefit and proliferate their messages to the masses as much as they chose to share.