How to make an app like Instagram: The big picture (Part 1 of 2)

Breakfast by Honolulu beach? Sunset in Santorini? Beautiful girls in the latest items? Once a so-so photo-sharing based social network within American borders, now Instagram has peaked as a worldwide phenomenon. Its contagion is so insane that it creates a wave among not only common population but also technology leaders. But do you know what the big picture of Instagram is? Do you wish to make an app like Instagram? What to prepare beforehand?
Let’s dive in the first part of this 2-note series to find out.

Instagram is the new black

“We are rapidly approaching the point where it will be possible to spend more time documenting our daily lives than living them.”

I have been wondering this question for such a long time: whether the shape of culture proliferates social apps like Instagram, or social apps like Instagram pull the society into the loop of media addiction. No matter which one the answer gravitates to, the fact remains that Instagram-like platforms have a tremendous, undeniable influence on our lives. For better or for worse, it’s no longer the old “basic” we once knew: simple and unstirring – it’s relentlessly shifted to a distinctive definition: mainstream, popular and fundamental to the point of common sense. We simultaneously post photos of us celebrating our graduation, eating a mouth-watering brunch on a romantic balcony, or just simply a capture of our dark circles complaining about the whole night preparing for the exam. We don’t get tired of it, because probably someone would give us comments; a sense of being cared about, being recognised and validated arises. It feels so good we dwell into it and don’t even want to run from it. Hereby, it turns into an indispensable part of our lives: like food, like water, like air. We become loyal apostles to the Instagram God.

But what is so special about Instagram that lures 1/7 of the world’s population into its effect? The answer lies upon Instagram’s free-of-charge accessibility, connectivity and always-on-update features. The idea comes from the 2 never-changing desire of humans: the feel of inclusion and affiliation, along with the power of visual presentation. Starting from square-cropped photos only, Instagram now even provides users with loads of immersive virtual real-life experiences to satisfy more of our needs: full-size pictures, direct message, multiple images (photo album), “stories”, IGTV, etc. Those features allow us to converse easily and showcase themselves outwardly, all nonphysically – which brings communication to another level. Furthermore, there is always something new on the board to keep users unescapable, therefore, the heat shall never cool down: “The platform’s proliferation of new features suggests it’s gunning to be a destination in your daily journey through social media, not just a pitstop along the way” (The Guardian).

Instagram as a gold digger

There might be some innocent thoughts that Instagram was born to serve humans’ mental state of health. It’s true, but it’s just the tip of an iceberg. The less-pleasant truth is it uses us as free resources to earn big money from another party – the businesses.

Looking at the infographic above, you can see Instagram is actually an undercover superficial shop, where advertisements follow almost all of our footprints. With the ability to attract new users as customers, generating influencers for branding purposes, along with the concentration to visual presentations (aesthetic pictures, posters, videos, etc), Instagram is out of doubt a perfect place for any marketing and selling effort. Just scrolling your feed up and down for some minutes, you’ll find yourself flooded with cute handbags, latest t-shirt designs, delicious beef steak from a French restaurant and more – just a little different from wandering around Amazon. Advertisement is everywhere, in the most picturesque, appealing form to the point that it’s hard to resist the urge to buy. Now, Instagram has gone a long way with a lot of new features to assist business performance, such as direct message for ordering purpose or Instagram stories, IGTV for more immersive experiences. A hazardous act to our wallet, an endless battle of heart and mind. It has become a real business market rather than just a photo-sharing, social networking application. No matter which party you’re in – buyer or seller, on Instagram, each penny spent is a penny smile. It creates reciprocal satisfaction for both sellers and buyers, therefore, boost Instagram’s retention rate from those two parties. Afterwards, Instagram as the intermediary just sit there enjoying the multiplying perks from those commercial activities and makes billions of dollars throughout the year.

Is it possible to be a descendant of Instagram?

You have the capability to achieve anything, as long as you’re determined to. Complex as it may sound, Instagram is actually built on the same foundation and basic functions as other social networks. It’s absolutely feasible to make an app similar to Instagram, but if you want to have your own loyal users and earn cases of money out of it, you have to take it to another level and simultaneously innovate your idea. For example, you can change the main function from photo-sharing to short-video-sharing like Tik Tok, or live media streaming like Helo – a product from Savvycom developing team.

Helo runs with some similar functions as Instagram: account authorisation, creating and editing profile, geolocation integration, etc; but with all of them serve a live streaming purpose rather than just a photo pitstop as Instagram. Helo has indeed brought virtual communication to a whole new dimension without being limited at short videos, photos and messages exchanging. On this platform, users can interact with others in real-time, eye to eye, for as long as they want. It’s indeed an upgraded version of Instagram under the name “Helo” and is promising to bloom in just a couple of years.
The point derived here is, to be the next Instagram generation, you need to know what are the important key-takeaways and what isn’t. You take a lesson from it, not duplicate it. You are an effective and rational learner, not a copycat.