If you’re an active user of Twitter, than you’ve probably noticed the increased number of pictures that are being posted through Instagram. Though it seems like just another website for posting pictures on Twitter, it goes way beyond that.
Instagram is a simple program that can be used to take photos; it has 16 different custom-designed filters such as sepia or grainy black, with quirky names that gives the photo a vintage feel. There is also a tilt-shift option which gives the photo a new perspective.
After customizing the pictures to your liking, you have the choice to post on Twitter, Tumblr, Posterous, Flickr and many other websites. It’s a social integration, a combination of Flickr and Twitter. You can follow your friends as well as celebrities and other people in the world, and have the option of ‘heart’, or to comment on their pictures.
In regards to the different buttons, there is Popular, which displays all the photos that received the most attention during that time; a News button that shows all the comments or likes you have gotten on your pictures; a Share button, which is self explanatory; and a Profile button, which allows you to control the privacy and settings of your account.
The most appealing part of this app is the simplicity of it. There is no purpose for a tutorial, nor is it equipped with a dozen buttons. Shortly after downloading it and signing up, it’s unbelievably easy to upload photos, design them and post them on any website chosen.
Currently only available for the iPhone, there is an anticipated Android version, though the release date has not been announced. The app is free to download though it might not be for much longer. The Instagram app looks to be just the beginning of a new social network that allows users to express themselves using photography.