The current society is changing drastically, and many new inventions are beginning to take a prominent place in the society’s popular culture. These recent trends have shaped and affected the society and the ways by which people now live, act, and relate with one another in today’s contemporary world. One of the most prominent popular cultures of the 21st century is the concept known as social media or online social networking. Social media could be referred to as an information communication technology tool which is developed for the purpose of attaining interaction and relations between members of the society. It is important to mention that based on the rate at which this new trend is accepted in today’s society, there a number of popular social media platforms which includes the likes of Facebook, What’s app, and Instagram. These tools are used as means for communication and social relations within the society and they offer the advantage of connection irrespective of location and distance as long users have access to internet facilities. Having provided the above background, it is important to mention at this juncture that this study is developed to look at Instagram which a prominent part of the current social media applications in today’s society, how it used to define popularity of users and how it crease false sense fame among the users. The study will provide a number of valid evidence in support of its thesis, and in the end, a conclusion will be drawn, to sum up, the ideas of the study.
Instagram can be regarded as a video and photo sharing social networking website. The application was initially developed by town individuals known as Mike Krieger, and Kevin Systrom was launched for public use in 2010. The application allows its users to upload videos and photos which could be viewed by their followers on the platform. It is important to mention also that based on the initial success and fame gained by this application at its inception, it attracted a number of interests from investors. However, the social media platform was acquired by Facebook in 2012 for a price of about $1bn.
Based on the requirement of this write-up, it is essential to begin a discussion regarding how this social networking tool is used to define the level of popularity among its users and how its crease a sense of fake fame also. It is essential to begin by pointing out that based on the uniqueness of Instagram it also has it notable tools of operation which includes the like, share and follow options.
The system offers the possibility of having a number of contacts who reacts to an individual’s posts or activities on the platform. For instance, the primary tool by which most users determine their level of popularity is the based on the number of followers they have on the platform. “Followers” on Instagram is another word for describing the user’s friends or contacts. It is therefore believed by most people that the higher the number of followers the higher the level of popularity attained by the user of such account. The above notion is not valid in most cases. To gain a high level of followership on Instagram, there are a number of actions carried out by the users of this platform, such as following many other people with the aim of also being followed. Those who seek to gain more followers on instagram tend to comment on popular posts within the platform with the desired of being followed. Having pointed out the above notion, it is important to note that most people judge their level of popularity by the member of followership they have on Instagram this is not always the case. Most people who have many contacts attain them because they were good at following others and commenting on popular posts and not necessarily because they are well known or considered as celebrities in the society. Therefore it is important to note the high number of followership on Instagram is not an accurate judge of the level of the fame thus it creates a false sense of popularly among its users.
The Instagram system provides a function known as a share. This function allows users to copy other peoples post and paste it directly on their own page. The systems also record the number shares for each post and make the information available for the original owner of the post. Based on the availability of this function, most users of the platform are usually of the opinion that the more their post that is being shared the more popular they are. It is important to mention that the above notion is not correct. Other users may tend to share posts for many reasons which include the fact that they like the post, probably the post has similarities with their beliefs and values. The users of Instagram may also decide to share some posts based on the fact they may also want their own followers to have access to its ideas, massage, and information. Therefore it important to mentions that none of these reasons have to do with the popularity of the initial owner of the post rather the content of the post. Most users of the platform are always of the opinion the more shares they have; the more their popularity. It is of essence to mention that the belief is not true based on the above-discussed reason behind post sharing on Instagram. Hence the numbers of share generated by a post can create of false sense of popularity for the owners of such accounts.
The users of Instagram are also fascinated by the amount of likes generated by their posts and to some extent they are of the opinion that the more likes they get per post, the higher the level of their popularity. Therefore in a bid to attain an increasing number of likes per post, Instagram users tend to carry out a number of activities such as posting on trending issues, posting interesting and motivating themes. In most cases the users on this platform post entertainment contents such as fashion and sports to appeal to their followers. It is important to note that most times when such actions as mentioned above are carried out by Instagram account owners, they tend to have several likes for their posts. However there is need to point out that this amount of likes does not necessarily confirms the account owner’s level of fame, it only certifies the popularity of the post. A post can get several likes if is it welcomed by the majority of the contacts of the account where use post was made. Hence the notion whereby most users of Instagram are of the opinion that the higher the figure of likes they get per post the higher the level of their popularity is not true. The likes are mostly generated for the post not for the owner the account. Therefore, it is safe to say that the increased number of likes generated by a person’s post may create a false level of popularity for such individual.
In conclusion, as mention the course of this essay, the current society is changing at a speedy rate with the development of many innovations and technological advancements. One this recent innovation is the introduction and wide uses d social media which includes Instagram. There is need to mention that in recent times, most users have jugged their level of popularity by the number of likes, followers, and shares like they have on the platform. However, the above notion is not true based on the fact that the increased number of likes, shares, and followership on Instagram is usually based mostly on the popularity of the content of the post rather that of the owner of the account. Thus it is wrong for account owners to define their reputation and level of popularity on instagram by the above-discussed indicators based on the fact that such indicators create a false notion of fame in most case for regular users.
