#WerkIt, Insta!
The photo-sharing app is running the social media game this year. It’s finally integrated with Hootsuite, gotten rid of the square restrictions on uploads, introduced 30-second long ads, and now it’s exploring the realm of moving picture with its release of Boomerang.
With these changes sparking the interest of digital advertisers, Instagram is predicted to surpass Facebook and Twitter as the most popular social media platform by 2017.
Introducing Boomerang, a new Instagram tool
An app that “lets you turn everyday moments into something fun and unexpected,” Boomerang is similar – no, identical – to PHHHOTO, a moving photo app that launched in July 2014 on iOS and recently released an Android version. The technology works by taking a series of photos and looping them back and forth to create a GIF-like visual. And who doesn’t love a good GIF?
From personal experience with PHHHOTO, I predict success with Boomerang. It’s a simple concept, but something about seeing peoples’ faces contort in moving selfies is addicting. Beyond selfies, those with an artistic eye and a creative mind can defy physics and produce mesmerizing visuals.
Why Boomerang will be a success
Boomerang’s ties to Instagram destines it for greatness, or at least gives Instagram bonus points with brands looking for new, interesting ways to use the platform in their marketing efforts to reach millennials.
I can already imagine the beautiful minimalism: A spoon dipping in and out of a bowl of ramen at a dimly lit restaurant. A hand flipping through a magazine’s new issue. A kayak creating ripples as an outdoor enthusiast paddles across a serene lake.
With 400 million monthly users and a relatively young user base – 53 percent of Instagram users are between 18 and 29 years old – the fast-paced evolution of the photo-sharing platform is keeping our interest peaked for what’s next.
