Weird. I actually like Instagram. (5 reasons why, 2 why not.)

The weirdest thing happened recently. I started using Instagram, and I actually like it.

I am not much of a social media guy. Took me a long time to warm up to Twitter, though I like it now. Don’t do Facebook at all. I like their groups, but the rest of it gives me the creeps.

But Instagram, for some reason, I’m liking right off the bat. And no one is more surprised about it than me.

Here are the five reasons I like IG, along with two things I don’t care for.

PRO:
1) Inspiration. I am the last guy in the world to find canned quotes motivating, or at least I thought I was. But it turns out I’m a sucker for a well-turned phrase. Yes, you have to wade through a bit of junk sometimes, but I always find several posts I really like.

2) Bite-sized. There’s something about short posts that really works for me. I always liked billboards for the same reason. When you have limited space, the writing tends to get a lot better. But tweets are short. Why is this better? Keep reading.

3) Images. I like Twitter, but images add a lot for me, assuming they’re good. I can’t describe the depth of my hatred for canned stock photos. (Seriously, can’t you put a LITTLE original thought into it?) But when they’re good, they’re good. Images add an extra dimension of resonance I find much more satisfying.

4) Comments. Another big plus over Twitter. Authors can add fully formed thoughts to their posts. Of course, if it’s a junk thought to begin with, more of it doesn’t help. But with posts I like, the additional comment is a great addition.

5) Great as an author. I really enjoying creating IG posts, I guess for the same reason I enjoy reading them. The combination of an image, a short thought and a longer comment is very satisfying to create, and I think makes for the perfect daily boost. (CLICK HERE to see what I mean. If you agree, please follow me. Much more to come!)

CON:
1) App-centric. My biggest complaint is that the web version doesn’t have the same capabilities as the app. I really don’t like hunching over my phone, typing with my thumbs, looking like an iZombie, but they seem to REALLY want you to use the app, rather than the web.

2) Stupid posts, selfies, etc. I’m sorry, but I really don’t need to see your abs. At the gym. In the bathroom. At the pool. Anywhere. I just don’t. Or for that matter, any evidence that you think you’re hot or cool or hip or going to be rich, etc. There’s a lot of that on IG. Also, no surprise, people post a lot of stupid thoughts up there that I’d rather not have to think about. But to be fair, they probably find mine stupid, too, and that’s life, right? Whole lot of crazy people out there. :-)

So that’s Instagram, from my perspective. Couple of complaints, but overall, I really like it.

If you’re on IG, let me know. I’d like to see what you’re doing. And check out my page, too. Let me know what you think.

Until next time, thanks, and keep up the good work!

David