Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world today, with approximately 1 billion monthly users. When used properly, it can be a warm place to connect with friends and family and keep up-to-date with their lives. Pop culture has often portrayed Instagram as a tool for the younger generation, but the older generation can also benefit from its use. In fact, Instagram is growing in popularity amongst older adults, with 31% of people over 55 years of age going on the platform more than once a day.

Whilst it may seem overwhelming at first, Instagram is actually very easy to use and user-friendly once you’ve got the hang of it. Here’s everything you should know about the application so you can start making the most of it!

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a photo and sharing application that is quite similar to Facebook. This application is free to use, and you can download it on any smartphone or even tablet. The application is based around visual storytelling, so you can take beautiful photos and share them with your friends and followers.

How does it work?

On Instagram, you can create a personal profile. This profile allows you to share your own photos with the world. You can also follow other users and people that interest you which will enable you to see their posts in your feed. This means that you can discover new information that interests you by following your favourite accounts! For example, if you have a particular love for cooking, you can follow popular accounts that share recipes and cooking tips.

Signing Up:

Signing up to Instagram is very easy, especially if you already have Facebook. All you have to do is download the app on your smartphone or tablet, and enter in your details. If you already have a Facebook account, you can use it to sign up and even connect your Facebook friends to your Instagram account. If you don’t have Facebook and want to follow your family and friends, you can ask them what their ‘Instagram handle’ is, and you’ll be able to find them with that.

What do the buttons mean at the bottom of the screen?

You can navigate through the main features of Instagram at the bottom of the screen. Here’s what they all mean:

• Home Button: When you press on this, it will take you to what we call a ‘Home Screen’. This is where you can see the images that the accounts you’re following are sharing.
• Search Button: This particular button takes you to the ‘Explore’ page. Simply put, this gives you a curation of photos and videos from accounts that you don’t follow but may be interested in. On the top bar of this page, you can find the search feature which will let you find friends and family that you can follow by entering in their names.
• Play Button: The middle button is a new feature called ‘Reels’. It’s a collection of short videos that people you may or not know have created.
• Profile button: this one takes you directly to your own personal profile where you can see all the images that you’ve shared.

Sharing Images

As mentioned above, one of the main features of Instagram is to share photos. If you want to let your followers see some of the beautiful pictures you’ve taken lately, you can upload them by pressing on the ‘+’ button on the top right of the screen and press on the grid icon called ‘post. From there, you can select which imagery from your phone you’d like to upload.

How to use Instagram safely

One of the main concerns with social media for many people is how to use it safely. Instagram is fun, but it can also be a source of worry for many people. To tackle this issue, the platform gives users a chance to choose between a ‘Public Profile and a ‘Private Profile’. If you don’t want anyone that you don’t know seeing your pictures or to follow you without your approval, we suggest using a private profile. This allows you the chance to be as anonymous as possible, and no one will be able to see your pictures unless you choose to make them public.

So there you go! It may seem as though there’s a lot to know about Instagram, but once you’ve been on the platform a few times, it becomes quite easy to use. If you want to find out more or need help navigating it, don’t hesitate to reach out for help from the team at Seasons or your family. All it takes is a quick tutorial, and you’ll be able to use the platform in no time. And don’t forget to follow Seasons on Instagram while you’re at it, so you can keep up with all of our communities!