Today, there are more than 900 million users of Instagram and more than 95 million pictures are posted every day. Users always keep looking for options to buy Instagram votes or followers to grow their profile rapidly. And being a millennial, I am guilty as charged for using #ihaveathingforfloor and #housetour. I am pretty sure you would have used it at some point in your life too! It is not news anymore that Millennials and Gen Z crowd are addicted to social media. Do we even go for a vacation if we do not post food selfies and beach pictures? Sharing stories on Instagram has become inevitable.
A few days back, people on Instagram were raging about the new hands’ installation, ‘Support’ by Lorenzo Quinn. Six pairs of hands were structured as a bridge amid one of the most famous canals of Venice. Tourists lost their mind after uploading thousands of pictures and videos and designers all around the world were critiquing the art. Amidst all this hullabaloo, the purpose behind that installation got lost. ‘Support’ was a project to create awareness among people about the increasing climate change at World Heritage Sites. A great cause, that couldn’t make it through the consciousness of the people.
The young generation is only focusing their attention on how ‘instgrammable’ space is. London is the most Instagrammed city in the entire world! And despite the fact that it hosts a bunch of architectural marvels, people still tend to go towards the manipulated jungle of spaces which are purposely created for the insta fam. And even then the F&B design industry was always blooming, now, for a different cause! Café owners now want to invest more and more on creating an ambience which is trendy and looks good in pictures. It’s not just about the food anymore, but the experience that you create for your customers. As a kid, I visited a lot of places that would say ‘Pictures not allowed’. But now every café, wedding or museum has a specific pop booth only to take pictures.
Talking about more public spaces like the glass pyramid of Louvre, it is one the most favourite destination for travellers. And the only a handful of them knows that the same pyramid is mirrored underneath as well. The Museum of Ice Cream was in the top 10 most visited pop museum in the United States last year and has more than 1,60,000 photos on Instagram.
But this trend is definitely not one-sided! A lot of artists, designers and other businesses are growing because of this new marketing strategy using hashtags. A lot of classic museums are now investing in redesigning the exhibition space to improvise user experience. Office design is not just about creating functional spaces for employees but also about making it look picturesque and environmentally sustainable. Earlier Instagram mainly focussed on Food and Fashion but now it has become a one-stop destination for marketing your products or designs related to the interior as well.
Many veterans think that this trend is for the greater good. Architects and designers always created their products while keeping in mind how will the project look to the users. So according to the ‘Instagram’ is just a synonym for ‘photogenic’ and it is only doing good for everybody because every design, in reality, has to be Instagrammable. Design is being spread in a good way. People are understanding the use of products more effectively and they are aware of the trends. When they open Instagram and Pinterest, as a customer they know the number of possibilities that are present and it has become almost impossible to fool them with words.
At this point, Instagram has become unstoppable! Spaces are not being designed for eternity but according to the growing needs of trendy hotspots and popular hubs. And going with the flow is the only way in. So next time you go to a café do not forget to use #ihaveathingforcafes
