In 2010, the smartphone social media app known as Instagram arrived into the hands of many crazy teens including my own. It quickly became a space where people could express themselves, form interactions and collaborate with others through photos. As Instagram has become more worldly known, even older generations are wanting to learn the tips and tricks of managing a professional online Instagram account particularly for business purposes. Anyone can be an Instagrammer with the help of teachers and classes such as ‘Up Your Insta-game,’ offering anyone and everyone the knowledge to start off an ‘insta-worthy’ social media account.
Being small business owners, everyone in the class was very interested in using Instagram as their main platform to promote their products and brands. The age group varied with a range of people from their mid twenties to late fifties, showing that no one is ever too old to pick up a new skill especially one such as Instagram. The class was taught by the outstanding Natalia who has a background in professional photography. She taught us how to utilize our social media accounts and gave us insights into what appeals to audiences in regards to contrast and color palettes when taking images and posting them to the platform.
Natalia was very motivational and passionate about teaching. This encouraged us at the end of the night to take on these tips and tricks and apply them to our own Instagram account. Her style of teaching was also very relatable, she was able to understand our needs and any difficulties we had with using the app. She seeks to inspire people with photography and most importantly give them the confidence to be their true authentic self. One of the main points that really stood out in the class was her honesty. She spoke about originality in regards to posting images, noting that, it is important that you post the images you want to post and not the ones you think the viewers would like as that will not make for a successful Instagram account.
The atmosphere of the class was very positive. With Natalia’s knowledge and professional experience it made it very easy for us to become drawn in and invested. She spoke about growth, development and patience. There is a lot of patience involved in growing your Instagram account. The account should be able to express yourself in a creative way with a theme that has consistency. For those like me who struggle with creating consistent posts, Natalia’s tips on using apps such as Plann and Planoly gave us a better understanding on how to create consistency throughout our page. These apps help organise Instagram photos in a way that is creative and very efficient in establishing consistency on your Instagram page. At the end of the class Natalia allowed us to ask questions to gain as much information as we could before the end of the session. This class encouraged everyone including myself, to believe in our abilities, giving us the drive and motivation to become Insta-Kings and Queens.
We have an Instagram class coming up on the 19th June 2019- Book here!
Author
Isabel Viavattene is a Media Communications student studying at RMIT University. She is currently working on a passion project documenting the life of her grandpa Angelo Viavattene. When she isn’t studying she has a passion for capturing important moments in her life through film.
This article was written and produced as part of the CREATE Media Arts Internship Program.
Laneway Learning has partnered with The Mentorship to deliver this exciting new program to support young people aspiring to work within the creative media and arts sectors.