Interesting read from NokiaConnects on why we take so many pictures. This included graphic kinda blew me away for a minute. (But I’m back now.)
What was most surprising to me was how large Instagram’s library has grown. Because I don’t use an iDevice I am largely unaware of Instagram in my day to day travels about the Internet. Occasionally, maybe two or three times per month, I’ll see somebody link to an Instagram photo. Generally this happens on Twitter and probably only half of the folks frequently posting in my twitter feed use iDevices. So I’m surprised Instagram is as large as it is, as it is a fairly discrete social networking service targeted at a fairly small portion of the Internet userbase. Perhaps I have a misunderstanding about how Instagram is used?
Assuming I don’t have a further misunderstanding, I would speculate the size of the library creates social or cultural significance where each image might tend to be lower in value on its own. In the smaller libraries, perhaps better curated, each image will likely hold or represent more cultural significance.
So do they average out? Can we get the same value from a small library that we get from a large one? We can only look at so many photographs, right?
Maybe the Facebook library represents us and the Library of Congress represents who we think we are. Or something. Or maybe neither accurately represents our culture?
