Filters are a huge part of Instagram’s appeal. Turn your boring brunch into a softly-hued morning masterpiece with “Earlybird.” Spice up a boring trip to the thrift store with “Hefe.” Artfully capture how your feet look in the sand next to a pile of seaweed with “Brannan.”
Instagram’s popularity continues to rise – it surpassed 100 million users last month. And the formerly mobile-only service recently started allowing users to browse through photos on desktops. That change, coupled with Facebook’s plan to integrate Instagram pictures into a revamped Photo Feed, means more eyes will be on your shots than ever before.
So what does your choice of filter reveal? More than you may think. Have a look (click to enlarge):
The above infographic from Marketo breaks down the different types of people who favor filters. According to the graph, people who use “Normal” are either amateurs who don’t know how to use the service yet, or people who already edited their photos with another service and want to pass them off as unedited. The popular hashtag #nofilter helps people brag about how their Instagram pictures don’t require any changes. Surprisingly, 43 percent of Instagram shots get put up without a selected filter, which means there are a lot of newbie users or tons of people trying to pull a fast one on their followers.
Now, that’s a little harsh – and the rest of the personality descriptions are equally outlandish. Or maybe I’m just being a little too sensitive — my favorite filter, “Rise,” is apparently perfect for “the lazy artist.” Then again, I have about four half-finished canvasses lying around my basement.
The infographic is clearly meant in jest – we contain multitudes, it’s impossible to pigeonhole someone’s personality through one aspect of a smartphone app, etc. But it contains a kernel of truth: People are looking at and judging what you put up on social media. And Instagram is no longer the indie darling it once was. People are serious enough about it that they sign up for legitimate analytics services to see how they can get more users – or they just buy them through a shady cottage industry.
No matter what filter you choose, make sure you’re putting up appropriate content — Instagram is now part of the big leagues of social media.
