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It feels like Instagram has been around forever! Yet it's only been 8 years. For comparison, Facebook is a 14-year-old teen. No wonder it seems so moody lately.
Below is the very-first Instagram picture posted to the app, taken by CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom, who shared a pic of his Golden Retriever. It got over 81,609 likes and was uploaded on 16 July, 2010, the day Instagram launched.
READ MORE: Selfie surgeries are on the rise. What does it really mean to be photogenic?
But who were the first Insta-stars of fashion?
Manrepeller recently featured an article called Was Caroline Calloway the First Instagram Influencer?. A few years ago the career of being an influencer didn't exist, not as a permanent job or even a side hustle. Now being your own brand can open doors, and make you money. That is if you give your audience what they want.
Caroline Calloway joined Insta in 2012 and she now has over 85K followers.
This was her first-ever post:
This was her most recent post:
In the article on Manrepeller she talks about the evolution of Instagram, and how it started with aerial shots. You know the ones, where you take pictures of your food from above, a flat lay of your cosmetics, or whatever products. Now, it's much more complex, and knowing what will work is unpredictable as the 'recipe' keeps changing.
READ MORE: This is how I make money as an influencer
Sarah Langa who has a whopping 148K followers on Instagram told us that, "You will never be able to make money as an influencer if you don’t treat what you do as a business. The level of commitment and professionalism that you portray in your quality of work must reflect that of an established organisation and that is how you get brands and companies to take you seriously.
"Like any other business; innovation, diversity and adaptation is what will keep you growing so always keep an open mind and have the willingness to learn from your peers.”
Another big influencer is Kefilwe Mabote who has 489K followers. She says, “I’m in this industry for the long haul, therefore I am selective about which brands I work with, ensuring that everything I do fits my brand essence and profile so that I am still true to myself and my followers. Money is not instant in this industry, you need to build a name for yourself and a reputable platform. Monetising comes from my stylist/personal shopper business, retainer clients, brand partnerships and ad-hoc paid for brand campaigns across categories that match my profile and interests.”
The very first SA bloggers hopped onto Insta soon after it launched to promote their already successful monetised blogs. See how their personal brands have changed and evolved to cater to an ever-changing audience of followers:
Aisha Baker, Baked Online. (Formerly Baked the Blog)
2013
2018
Boity, The Human Gallery.
2012
2018
Thithi Nteta, TeeTeeAtLarge (Formerly TeeTeeIsWithMe)
2012
2018
With almost 24K followers, influencer Shiela Ho chatted to us about how her Instagram changed over time.
"I started Instagram when I went to Asia for modelling because it was already big over there and whoever didn’t have an account, worked less. Every time when I went to Asia I would continue my posts but back in Europe and South Africa I never consistently posted images.
"Only when I became a mom, did I start to share my experience about my daily life challenges and collaborating with brands, showing the luxury of working from home through my profile.
"Being in the modeling industry for more then 10 years now I have developed a particular look and style which has flourished into the brand it is today."
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