What is Instagram? And why in the heck does everyone like it so much?
Well, Instagram is a way to take pictures. Exciting right? You know, what anyone can do with any smart phone now. Oh yeah, it also has stock filters that are appealing to a wide audience.
It's appeal came from the ease of use, the time it was implemented and it's integration. The learning curve for Instagram is excessively low. Basically, one signs into an account and takes pictures with their mobile device. Then, the picture can be edited extremely easy, from using cropping features to using the stock filters to make pictures look edgy.
The time it was implemented was when cameras were being integrated into cell phones. Particularly when phones became primary for picture-taking, as opposed to separate cameras. Instagram started being noticed in 2010, when it was available for free in the Iphone App Store.
What really made Instagram take off was the approval of Twitter founder, Jack Dorsey. Not only did Dorsey advertise the app heavily, but he gathered an investment of $7 million into the app. Twitter became a main catalyst for the growth of Instagram by showcasing the ease and diversity the app offered.
Then Facebook bought it for $1 billion, and now it has fully integrated with all major social media mediums.
But really, Instagram isn't proprietary. It is a brand that offers integration. It can easily be substituted with a relatively small capital investment. For example, Twitter has come out with a new filter lense as well that is gaining a high amount of popularity. To see it stacked up, see http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedamv/instagram-vs-twitter-filters-starring-my-cat-cli-7xwg .
Overall, due to it's lack of proprietary advantage, and straight 'luck' strategy, this is not an app that was worth $1 billion and will not sustain.
http://mashable.com/2012/12/10/we-can-survive-without-instagram/
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