Picture-sharing social platform Instagram has seen huge uptake in SA, according to parent company Facebook.
This was disclosed last week, at Facebook's creative summit in Johannesburg, held as part of its Facebook Africa office launch. "Instagram usage is growing at 115% per year, faster than Facebook did in this country during the same period," said Facebook EMEA VP Nicola Mendelsohn.
According to World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck, this growth can be attributed to the fact that visual media is dramatically growing in its appeal and use. The latest SA Social Media Landscape 2015 report showed Instagram, along with YouTube, were the fastest growing of all social networks in SA.
"We're seeing the beginning of the visual revolution in online usage in South Africa," says Goldstuck. According to the report, Instagram grew from 680 000 active users in 2013 to 1.1 million in 2014.
"Instagram is the visual equivalent of instant messaging, but also serves as a showcase for images. It is an instant platform for sharing what one captures with an audience that is attuned to consuming images and nothing else," says Goldstuck. "Facebook is far broader and does not serve the same purpose.
"It's not an either-or situation. Most South African social media users are on Facebook already." However, many are turning to Instagram for specific purposes, such as exploring new ways of presenting their photos to the world or just to friends, he notes.
Goldstuck says the highest penetration of Instagram users is under 25 years of age, followed by the 25 to 34 age group, and then those aged 35 to 44.
Instaglam
Mike Sharman, MD of digital agency Retroviral, says Instagram is experiencing massive growth because it is based on a simple premise and the company focused on getting that right.
"Instagram is the ultimate narcissistic tool, allowing users to show the world how beautiful their viewpoint is and giving viewers the voyeuristic opportunities not found on other social networks."
Sharman says the uncluttered platform gives users the chance to 'play' professional photographer, while showing off the glamourous moments they choose to share.
"Instagram built itself with the community in mind first and not commerce. However, commerce will soon be introduced to the platform and it will work well because we live in an instant gratification world - when people see a product they like in their feed, they want to have the option to buy it right there and then.
"Marketers will need to be clever when using the platform to promote brands. Normal adverts won't work; they need to get the balance between product placement and lifestyle right, so as not to interrupt the user's viewing pleasure," he notes.
International trend
Instagram's local popularity is reflected globally, with two separate international studies showing the site has higher engagement and organic growth compared to other social platforms.
Social media analytics company Quintly's Instagram study found that in the first quarter of this year, the average interaction on the platform was 10 times higher than on Facebook.
Quintly spokesperson Julian Gottke explained the study analysed over 5 000 accounts and found:
* Instagram users post on average once a day. However, Instagram accounts with more than 100 000 followers post more frequently.
* 90% of users post images not video.
* The average interaction rate on Instagram increased by 1% in the first quarter of this year.
* The interaction rate on an Instagram post is higher than Facebook or Twitter, receiving more likes, comments and shares.
* The interaction rate on Twitter is 0.25, Facebook at 0.72, and Instagram at 4.80.
The Facebook-owned social network recently introduced carousel adverts to its offering, as well as 'buy-buttons', suggesting the company is starting to monetise the platform. Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in 2012.
"By increasing the amount of advertising shown in user timelines, Instagram has taken a significant step towards improving the relevancy of its network," says Gottke.
Organic growth
A separate Instagram study by London-based social media reporting firm Locowise looked at 2 500 Instagram profiles, and their profile engagement and follower increase during the month of April 2015.
The study revealed organic growth ? an increase in followers without 'paying' for them ? is highest among very small and very large Instagram accounts.
Key takeaways included:
* The average follower growth in April was 1.95%.
* The smallest and largest profiles both experienced above-average organic follower growth of 2.31% and 2.28%.
* The organic follower growth rate on Facebook in the same period was 0.18%.
* 96.87% of all engagements on Instagram were likes, while 3.13% were comments.
* Videos performed better on accounts that had over one million followers, with a large engagement.
* More comments were posted on videos than still images.
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