In light of Instagram’s success, many rising mobile video apps have endeavored to become the “Instagram for Video.” Companies like SocialCam, Viddy and more have shown prodigious growth in app downloads / monthly active users, but I wonder if these users will truly remain active after the initial buzz dies down.

I came across an interesting post tonight by Semil Shah, which echoed sentiments that I’ve had as of late… 

One thing Instagram really has going for them is that it transforms users into artists, essentially… empowering them to capture fleeting moments and make them magical in a way that is easy and fun to consume.

But there’s something different about video… Videos generated in a moment don’t quite have the same effect or ease of display that photos do. Perhaps users need more skill to make their videos look exceptional…  It seems much more difficult to make video work. 

In his post “Photographs > Video?” Semil brings up some good points as to why he is somewhat skeptical about video:

1. “I’m not sure if it’s a core behavior as snapping pictures is”
2. “the current interfaces seem to deemphasize “capturing video” as a feature within the camera interface”
3. “even if core behaviors change and/or the software around the video camera evolve, there are technical hurdles that would need to be overcome in order for the average phone user to capture and share a video that would meet the requirements the audience’s time to consume that media.”

I tend to agree with Semil’s skepticism about video… to some extent, at least. Regarding Semil’s first point about user’s core behaviors not including video… I don’t think this is much of a problem, as I believe these behaviors will change very soon. (he mentions this himself in #3.) And while current interfaces may “deemphasize capturing video,” fortunately I also believe that mobile UI improvements will make videos even more enjoyable to create and share.

What really made me go “hmm” was Semil’s 3rd point: that users would encounter technical hurdles preventing them from being able to deliver to the standards of their audiences. At first I was like, “my thoughts exactly”… just throwing a filter and a music loop over your video clip doesn’t necessarily make it “magical.” There are more moving parts when it comes to video.

…but then I thought, well what about LIVE mobile video? 

                       

At YouNow I’m constantly trying to imagine the future of video… how it will be transformed by mobile, and how users’ core behaviors will evolve over time. People have lower standards (at the moment) for live video - that’s just the nature of it. A trade-off is made, sacrificing production quality in return for experiencing something genuine and raw. While live videos by and large are not (yet!) Mona Lisas, they certainly whet social users’ appetites for intimate engagement.

Perhaps live video could reach audiences despite their technical high standards for video content. I have to think a little bit more about this… but what do you guys think? 

WHOA!!!! I can’t belee dis… haha

instagram:

When Mike and I started Instagram nearly two years ago, we set out to change and improve the way the world communicates and shares. We’ve had an amazing time watching Instagram grow into a vibrant community of people from all around the globe. Today, we couldn’t be happier to announce that Instagram has agreed to be acquired by Facebook.  

 

Every day that passes, we see more experiences being shared through Instagram in ways that we never thought possible. It’s because of our dedicated and talented team that we’ve gotten this far, and with the support and cross-pollination of ideas and talent at a place like Facebook, we hope to create an even more exciting future for Instagram and Facebook alike.

 

It’s important to be clear that Instagram is not going away. We’l be working with Facebook to evolve Instagram and build the network. We’ll continue to add new features to the product and find new ways to create a better mobile photos experience.

 

The Instagram app will still be the same one you know and love. You’ll still have all the same people you follow and that follow you.You’ll still be able to share to other social networks. And you’ll still have all the other features that make the app so fun and unique.  

We’re psyched to be joining Facebook and are excited to build a better Instagram for everyone.

 

Best,

Kevin

 

CEO, Instagram

I love the thrill of discovering, navigating, and sharing my adventures with the world.

Mobile apps like Instagram, foursquare, Path, and Sonar delight me, as they connect me with others around the unexpectedly remarkable moments I experience from day to day. While Sonar empowers us to meet the people around us who are most socially relevant, Path and Instagram allow us to capture and coyly share intimate glimpses of our lives.

Because the confluence of “occurrence” and “location” creates a unique event that will never happen again in the same manner,  it seems of utmost importance to capture special moments when and where they happen…

To read more of my blog post, click here.

Excellent interview with @instagram CEO Kevin Systrom (@kevin) at #TCDisrupt in Beijing.

instagram:

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt in Beijing this week to discuss Instagram’s international efforts and growing community, which now consists of over 12 million users around the world. Watch the full video below.