All posts in: Instagram

29 Aug 2020

Blog Roundup

  • Meghan Markle Was Set Up To Fail [The Cut]
  • Instagram Reels Can’t Beat TikTok. Here Are 8 Reasons Why [Medium]
  • What Will Being An Influencer Mean in 2021 And Beyond? [Nylon]
  • Wirecutter’s Worst Things For Most People [NY Times]
  • Un-Adopted – YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer Share Every Step of Their Parenting Journey. Except the Last. [The Cut]
  • 23 TV Moments That Were So Bad, People Had To Stop Watching [BuzzFeed]
  • Who Gets To Be ‘Hapa?’ [NPR]
  • Tracking Coronavirus Cases At U.S. Colleges and Universities [NY Times]
  • Now Is a Great Time to Go Back to an Old iPod [GQ]
  • How to Vote By Mail During the 2020 Election [Vogue]
16 Aug 2020

Blog Roundup

  • JJJJOUND Is a 21st Century Entrepreneur [Hypebeast]
  • 10 Things You, A Man, Should Not Write In A Dating App Bio [InsideHook]
  • Instagram is Reels Complicated [Bloomberg]
  • Sweatpants Forever [NY Times]
  • The 15 Best Oscar Winning Films Of All Time [Esquire]
  • How Justin H. Min Became The Umbrella Academy’s Breakout Star [GQ]
  • Most Of Us Only Dream Of Being Claudia Kishi. Momona Tamada Actually Got To Be Her. [Elle]
  • Chanel Miller’s Secret Source of Strength [NY Times]
  • Here’s What Could Happen If Kanye West Is Found Guilty of Electoral Fraud [High Snobiety]
  • The Pinterest Paradox: Cupcakes and Toxicity [Medium]
  • We Tested Instagram Reels, the TikTok Clone. What A Dud. [NY Times]
  • Twins Film Their Reaction to Hearing Phil Collins For the First Time
  • AMC Theaters Will Reopen August 20 With 15 Cent Tickets [Hypebeast] Cool cool cause a pandemic is still happening and all
  • The Best Place to Camp in Every State [Conde Nast Traveler]
05 Aug 2020

Instagram’s TikTok Competitor Reels Made Its Debut Today

We knew Instagram would be releasing Reels in the US in early August, but most people didn’t know the exact date as with every Instagram feature. As I woke up this morning and watched reel after reel being done by celebrities and influencers, I wondered when it would make its way to my app! The wait was unnerving, but eventually, we got there. As someone who has spent the last few months on TikTok, I was eager to see how Reels would match up. I know that I have not been the only one obsessed with this new app, recently a friend of mine even asked me if I would happen to know what the best site to buy TikTok likes might be. Undoubtedly this new form of social media has got everyone hooked and wondering how they can improve their profile. This does not just apply to a certain age demographic either, people of all age groups seem to love the format of the platform. Around lunchtime, I tested it myself. Within 30 minutes, I was able to [learn and record] a dance routine to Calvin Harris, Migos, and Frank Ocean’s “Slide.”

Here are some of the things I observed:

  • There were significantly more Reels within feed than normal, but you also had your fair share of regular Instagram videos. The content switching between both and photos were tough to get used to. It’s almost like content overload.
  • It took me several minutes to find my drafts folder.
  • It’s great that the music library within Instagram is something you’re familiar with if you already use it for your stories, but there’s no way to save sound clips (or I haven’t found it yet) This feature is important on TikTok because sometimes I want to save a clip and record the video later. Instead, on Reels, it beckons you to record that video in the moment with that audio.
  • Are the effects that you can use within Instagram just filters? Am I missing it?
  • You can share your Reel to feed, stories, or the dedicated Reels part of your Instagram. At first, it wasn’t clear to me that you didn’t have to share it to feed automatically.
  • Posting to feed and reels is decent quality. If you post to stories, the quality is bad.
  • Videos can’t surpass 15 seconds unlike TikTok.

Overall, I found the process a bit clunky, but I’m willing to give this a little bit more time. For the time being, I plan on recording videos to both TikTok and Reels to become familiar with it, but I don’t find this to be intuitive. If you think about it, Instagram now houses feed, stories, reels, and IGTV. That’s quite a lot going on! Instead, it might be better to invest your time on TikTok, especially if you’re looking to rise as an influencer. Along with your time, you can invest some money as well, if you’re willing to buy real TikTok followers, which might give a boost to your social media presence and perhaps attract a larger audience as well. If you need help with engagement strategy, social media growth services might be the answer. These services can give a headstart on TikTok management, which primarily focuses on organic growth. TokUpgrade, for instance, is largely used by many TikTok business accounts (see TokUpgrade reviews for more details).

The reason I’m probably so interested in TikTok is that maybe I’m hoping to become famous one day, and it could become an additional source of income for me. This is because, once famous, most influencers tend to collaborate with companies through a tiktok influencer marketing agency, which in turn helps the companies market their products and brand through them (influencers). Businesses hire marketing firms to connect them with the most appropriate influencers who can create trendy, entertaining, and viral videos to raise awareness about their products or services, and who knows, maybe, one day, I’ll become one of the most influential video creators?

Coming back to Instagram, one thing that I considered is how Instagram is generally perceived. Instagram has a reputation for being perfect. Users share content that is aesthetically pleasing and create a well-crafted feed. Is there any question that Reels won’t fall into that same pattern? Users that may not be comfortable with video will have a tougher time getting their foot in the door. That pressure of continuing to keep something looking perfect will create some tension. And it’s apparent that Reels is on another level than the quick snapshot of Stories.

In some ways, this couldn’t have come at a better time. With TikTok being on the verge of being banned by President Trump, this is a prime time for Instagram and Triller to move in. The question is, are Instagram users willing to adopt it?

04 Aug 2020

The Instagram Post That Had Us Spinning

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2004 or 2020?!

A post shared by Kristin Cavallari (@kristincavallari) on

When Kristin Cavallari posted this Instagram last night snuggling up to her former high school boyfriend Stephen Colletti, I did a double take. Even the caption “2004 or 2020?” really had me going for a minute! In fact, so much so that I had to confirm it myself to see if in her stories she was wearing the same outfit as the photo. We know this cast never really ages much anyways so it was anyone’s guess! I hate to jump the gun on shipping rumors, but we do know that Kristin and Jay Cutler announced their divorce earlier this year. Is a reunion in the works for these two? Do former high school relationships have a shot many many years later?

01 Aug 2020

Wansho Laundry’s Owners

A Taiwanese couple is making headlines this week after finding a creative way to recycle the clothes left behind at their laundromat. The owners, Chang Wan-Ji and Hsu Sho-er have collected the belongings that people accidentally leave and turn them into wearable outfits. Last month, their grandson Chang Reef started sharing their photos on the internet modeling these outfits and they’ve become a new sensation. With only 23 posts so far, their [Instagram] is quickly becoming a hit. Honestly, are these not the coolest grandparents you’ve ever seen?

[Source]

18 Jul 2020

Instagram to Release TikTok Competitor, Reels

While we await the fate of TikTok and whether or not it will get banned in the states, Instagram has announced the release of their TikTok competitor, Reels. Set to arrive in August, the feature will allow users to create short-form content that can be edited with a wide range of tools and set to music or audio. In addition to that, the reels feature will most likely be available on Facebook in the near future. The facebook reel download can be done by people using platforms similar to fdown.net on their phones or PCs. No one is really saying it’s the exact same thing as TikTok, but we all know it kind of is. Other countries such as Brazil, France, and Germany have already begun testing it.

Tiktok has become a great platform for those who want to showcase their talent, whether that be singing, dancing, acting, etc. they are able to do so whilst reaching people from across the globe. So it is no wonder that people have flocked to this area of social media and are doing what they can to engage with their audience as well as give them what they want. Social media can be hard to navigate around without the proper tools, that is why they will turn to social media managers as well as finding out where to buy TikTok followers to help them get noticed more so they can build on their brand and gain recognition.

Over the last few months, we’ve become huge fans of TikTok, but I’m also curious to see how Reels will compare. We know that TikTok also allows 60-second videos and that their “for you” page is iconic though we’ve still been given little information about Reels. We’ll soon be learning more in just a couple of weeks!

[Source]

17 Jul 2020

Aisha Dee Calls Out Her Series “The Bold Type”

As cheesy as it may seem, I am a sucker for television series that highlight strong female friendships. I’ve always been a girly girl, but a girl that knew how important it was to be surrounded by great girlfriends and strong women. When I watched the pilot of “The Bold Type,” I wasn’t yet convinced that this would be my show, but I came to love it. It even became a series that I recommended to other people in my network. Kat, Sutton, and Jane were career-driven, had strong beliefs in the world and love for each other.

Earlier this week, Aisha Dee, who portrays “Kat” on the series posted to her Instagram her thoughts on how Kat’s storyline was going in the season and her thoughts behind the scenes on the show. It’s clear that the show’s fourth season was missing the mark. I felt validated hearing Aisha’s words after the fact. The criticism is that Kat a woman of color and a bisexual was now “hooking up” with a conservative character named Ava who has a father that supported conversion therapy. Aisha nailed this one on the head in her post, “this is something Kat Edison would never do.”

As I watched this storyline play out this season, I was disappointed. If this was the director that the writers wanted to take then did I really know Kat Edison at all during this time? We know now that she didn’t agree with this. She opted to portray her character’s story honestly, but to me it wasn’t believable. Her post also mentions how the series missed the mark in several areas: including being without a BIPOC writer in the room for two seasons and without a stylist that knew how to work with her hair.

View this post on Instagram

for us ♥️

A post shared by Aisha Dee (@aishtray) on

Spoiler alert: after Aisha’s post, a change was made to the ending of the finale yesterday evening where Kat broke it off with Ava. It took guts for Aisha to do what she did, but I hope is that others will follow in her example. In order to spark change, you have to speak up about it. Upon writing this post, I read two other posts that I thought were well written following this story.

[Refinery29] [Vogue]

13 Jul 2020

Sh*t Bloggers Post

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for $180 you too can smell like a blogger

A post shared by shit bloggers post (@shitbloggerspost) on

For moments where you can’t always get an OOTD, there are filler photos that occupy our feed. Sometimes they show up in the form of random object still shots, our meals, or the Victorian houses around us. Whatever the case is, if you follow a number of influencers, you start to see these trends show up. I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t a part of this practice and if I didn’t save some of these “basic” photos to an Instagram collection to feel inspired later on. [“Sh*T Bloggers Post“] is a new account developed in quarantine that highlights all of these trends posted by different users. Looking at the grid and reading their captions, it’s honestly hard to not have a laugh at it all.

[Source]

23 May 2020

Instagram Will Allow Video Chat Up To 50 People

Pauline De Leon/Hypebae

Due to COVID-19, the rise in video calls has soared more than ever before. I remember even earlier this year before all of this happened, a coworker of mine told me that she regularly does FaceTime with her group of girlfriends every Saturday morning to figure out their plans for the day. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had used FaceTime and video calls that weren’t for work were rare. These days, it’s a constant. There is no shortage of channels that people can use to connect with others and that number is growing. After Facebook announced that they’d let their Messenger users video chat with 50 people, Instagram has now decided to hop on board.

For the time being, the feature is only enabled in the United States, but is expected to become more widely available. Your only prerequisite is to have Facebook Messenger already downloaded since it will be an integration of the two platforms.

[Source]

05 May 2020

My Favorite People to Follow on Instagram Right Now

It’s not a surprise to anyone that we’re all getting more screen time during quarantine. I’ve stopped feeling triggered by my weekly Apple update that tells me I’ve spent x percent more time on my phone than the previous week. What I’ve noticed, however, is that quarantine content is sometimes bringing out the best content. Influencers that I used to love before for their shopping and travel content have sort of faded. I’m sure that I am not the only follower who is likely to have noticed this and as a result might be engaging less and less with their content. These influencers who are noticing less engagement might as a result buy IG likes and followers as a way to try and potentially keep up the traffic on their pages.

Maybe the quarantine is getting to them and they haven’t been able to keep up with their social media…I understand, it can get tough for anyone! And that’s probably why many influencers or even companies may take the help of third-party services, like services that allow you to buy Instagram followers, that can help with social media growth.

When exploring this avenue though, it’s important to do enough research. Many legit resources do provide ample information on things like the socinator scam warning so people can make a proper decision on it. It’s a vast network of services, and it’s very easy to get duped. Nevertheless, social media is a great place to connect and meet all sorts of people!

And now, those that I never paid too much attention to are rising to the top of my list. Who knows whether it is because they knew the best sites to buy Instagram auto likes and get themselves seen on Instagram trends list, or in fact, their content is something that everyone wants and loves to see! Either way, here are some of my favorites on Instagram at the moment!

View this post on Instagram

tuesday plan.

A post shared by Alessandra Olanow (@aolanow) on

For years, you’ve watched me share a new quote or words of wisdom every Sunday. As cheesy as it may be, I happen to still like this even outside of Yow Yow! traditions. Illustrator Alessandra Olanow [aolanow] does this in the best way. Every day, we receive a new post from her and in uncertain times like these, I feel comforted by her words and cheeky illustrations. It’s also a nice thing to look forward to each day.

I didn’t actually start following Chef [David Chang] until recently after watching his latest show on Netflix. Because of that, I’m not familiar with the content he had pre-quarantine, but I’m loving what he’s posting now. You can tell that he hasn’t perfected his social media game and he’s not trying to. David struggles with opening cans one handed while filming in the other and daily frustrations with his family that he’s the one cooking every day. It’s entertaining and informative none the less. The things that he’s making aren’t anything like from his restaurants. They are simple meals using ingredients that you already have at home which anyone can relate to.

View this post on Instagram

TGIF #homeschool

A post shared by Max Greenfield (@iammaxgreenfield) on

I cannot relate to any parent right now that is having to not only work from home and home school their children. Parents have always been the ultimate multitaskers, but this is truly next level. Since none of my own friends are at this stage in life yet or rather, their kids aren’t as grown, I’m getting a lot of satisfaction from [Max Greenfield’s] daughter just trolling him.

We had to throw another foodie Instagrammer in here! Shelter-in-place happened right around the time that the latest season of Top Chef began. Now [Padma Lakshmi] and David are friends, but they really do provide two different perspectives on at-home cooking during quarantine and social media content. Padma’s sharing recipes and filming as she’s cooking with step-by step instructions. Along the way, she’s even got her daughter helping her (and sometimes trolling her) throughout. It’s a fun behind-the-scenes look of seeing Padma in the kitchen and at home when she’s not playing host.

While in quarantine, we actually shared that [Harley Viera-Newton] and her husband Ross were hosting live DJ sets on Saturday afternoons. Since I’ve attended at least 3 Saturdays in a row now, I figured it made sense to add her to my list. It’s funny to say that this stream is the one thing that I look forward to on Saturdays, but we try and make it into a whole thing. I dress up, have a drink in hand and sometimes I’ll even find myself dancing in my living room even if it is silly to do on my own. I know that this can’t last forever because of course Harley and Ross have to return to their normal lives at some point, but it’s something I really have enjoyed.