According to Chris Messina, the technologist who was user no. 19 and invented the hashtag, the introduction to other people’s visual perspectives on Instagram was a stunning novelty—perhaps equivalent to the psychological phenomenon astronauts experience when looking at the Earth from outer space for the first time. On Instagram, you could dive into the life of a reindeer herder in Norway or a basket weaver in South Africa. And you could share and reflect on your own life in a way that felt profound too. “It gives you this glimpse of humanity and changes your whole perspective on everything
...more
