IndexHistoryAbility to Turn People into BusinessSelf EsteemInfluencers as Legal AssetsInstagram has transformed from a basic photo sharing application into a fruitful environment where businesses and individuals can conduct business. Through Instagram, the definition of business has expanded. This expansion has given Instagram users the ability to function as extensions of established businesses and even create their own on the app. Individuals create their “personal brands” through promoting their own products and/or services or by associating with major brands that sponsor their content. Today, Instagram “influencers” create and refine their images for public consumption. An influencer is a type of micro celebrity that targets other specific individuals, who exert influence over a large pool of potential customers (Abiden 72). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Once a strong and attractive brand is established on the saturated platform, users can leverage their large followings for further sponsorships. Businesses take note and approach the most popular pages with large followings for brand deals. Therefore, users with smaller followings have a much harder time getting noticed right now (Racked). Buying followers is a central ethical dilemma that many small bloggers think they are participating in to get companies' attention (Lieber). In addition to using less-than-honest methods to gain popularity on the app, users will also go to great lengths to cultivate an image of perfection (Lieber). Advertising and perfectionism have gone hand in hand for years (Suggett) with the use of celebrities and models to promote products and services for major brands. Therefore, it is no surprise that influencers attempt to leverage the idea of ​​perfectionism to capture the attention of brands. Instagram is an arena where the concept of desiring perfectionism is exacerbated. The images of perfection are more accessible to all users as they scroll through the app. It is no surprise that Instagram is a major culprit in the erosion of mental health in younger generations (RSPH 18). The ability to transform into a brand has raised expectations for how people should look and behave through the app. Platform influence has become a commodity. Instagram has evolved from a simple interpersonal communicative photo sharing application into a platform on which individuals now create their own profitable public facades. Instagram now has the ability to transform people into businesses similar to the rise of a company in the real world. This phenomenon has created an environment where people now have a valuation value based solely on the number of followers they may have. As a result, the platform has a drastic impact on the self-esteem of participating individuals in a world where humans have become, so to speak, legal commodities. The intersection of influencers' self-esteem, pseudo-relationships, and intense idealization of their respective lives has serious implications when it comes to discerning whether influencers' opinions are valid and reliable. App users and society at large may not be able to identify credible sources. History Instagram was born as an evolution of another new app called Bourbn. Stanford graduate creators Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger modeled Instagram after Bourbn, an overly complex photo-sharing app with features like earning points for checking your location, posting content, and making future plans (Garber). After realizingBourbn's unrealistic complexity, Systrom, the original developer, called on Krieger to simplify the app for easier, more mainstream use. Using data analysis from tests of the Bourbn prototype, they found that the most used aspect was photo sharing (Garber). With the new information, ilcoppia rebuilt their app solely around the idea of ​​photo sharing. This is how Instagram was born. Within a couple of hours of Instagram's launch on October 6, 2010 (Roberts), the system crashed due to high traffic volume (1). After a night of problems, Systrom and Krieger had the app back up and running within 24 hours. During that time, as many as 25,000 people signed up for an Instagram account (1). While the platform hasn't had a perfect start, the app hasn't seen a downward trend yet. Within nine months of launch, the app had 7 million users (1). The exponential growth of the photo-sharing application in the ever-evolving digital age has made Facebook take notice. Two years after Instagram's launch, the social media giant purchased Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock (Fell). Systrom and Krieger still run the company today with 800 million users and 500 million daily active users as of 2017 (Instagram Business Team). One estimate indicates that in 2017, 70.7% of US businesses use Instagram and 80% of users follow a business account (eMarketer, Instagram Business Team). Ten years later, Instagram now reigns as an indispensable part of the digital age's communication and marketing methods. A project born from Systrom's love for photography transformed into a communications giant used not only for sharing photos but also for marketing brands, products and services. Ability to Turn People into Business Today, social media has become one of the most used techniques for creating and sharing personal content with other people. That said, social media has gone far beyond simply staying in touch with friends and family and has become a popular source for businesses. Therefore, it is no surprise that brands have started using social media as a marketing tool to promote and expand sales. Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has become one of the largest social media platforms used to advertise and promote one's business or oneself (Coelho 1). Likewise, thanks to Instagram, the company has become familiar with terms like “influencers” and “brand ambassadors”. " Because Instagram gives people the ability to use personal storytelling to capture an audience, many users have used this to their advantage by turning into business products. Arielle Charnas, who many Instagram users may know as @SomethingNavy, is a great example of a person who actually used Instagram to transform themselves into a brand Starting as an online blogger and e-commerce specialist for the Singer 22 retail store, Charnas used her blog followers to build an audience on Instagram (SOURCE) Since her Instagram profile was focused on fashion, Charnas posted content such as her outfits of the day, basic beauty and lifestyle tips, and where to shop at affordable prices. Posting daily and interacting with her audience, Charnas is managed to gain the 1.1 million followers she has today (SOURCE). As she quickly became a “super influencer,” popular brands like Steve Madden, Sunglass Hut and Lord & Taylor department stores were willing to pay her $1,500-3,000 for a post. on Instagram (Charnas 1). While building its clientele and sponsorships, @SomethingNavy has managed torealize a project, creating his own clothing line with Nordstrom. Partnering with the popular department store and creating “Something Navy Charnas credits Instagram and listening to feedback from her followers for her first successful launch. She said: ...as an influencer, my platform gave me the resources to get real-life data and feedback by listening to my followers and seeing what excited them about my Instagram. We felt an obligation to use this incredible knowledge to give my followers what they wanted, we hope to build on this formula for success and continue to listen carefully to my amazing audience. (Charnas 1)If it weren't for Instagram, @SomethingNavy wouldn't have been aware of what her shoppers would want to see incorporated into her line. The use of social media, especially Instagram, has been heavily dependent on the success of his clothing brand. Charnas' success with @SomethingNavy is a great example of Abidin's statement in Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online, "Instagram has become the social media platform where people turn their digital fame into a personal brand and ultimately into a business" (Abiden). Self-esteemThe increase in the use of Instagram is becoming a global concern. Studies show that mental health conditions, such as body image issues related to social media use, exist as a major problem for younger generations today. Despite the promotion of Instagram as a means of self-expression through photo sharing, a recent study published by the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) cited Instagram as the most damaging influence on the mental health of younger generations. RSPH's survey of nearly 1,500 people revealed that Instagram ranked as having the most negative impact on a user's mental health (RSPH 18). The study reflects what many critics of Instagram argue, that the platform's transition from a simple photo-sharing application to a platform where you can edit your life to look perfect, or "insta-worthy," has created an environment where individuals must now deal with their own problems. internal inadequacies every time they open the app. Since Instagram features people posting carefully curated photos to showcase the best aspects of their lives every day, it's no wonder the study suggests: "About 70% of 18- to 24-year-olds would consider l idea of ​​undergoing cosmetic surgery" (RSPH 10). With Instagram being used as a platform for people to hypothesize perfect personalities, it serves as a constant reminder of a person's insecurities. Self-esteem can be strengthened when you feel as if you are accepted by others. Instagram adds another dimension with the "Like" button, so in addition to wanting to feel accepted, you can also feel like you're being approved. You can scroll through photo likes and see who else has approved (or, sometimes more importantly, who hasn't approved) a photo. According to Hawi and Samaha's study, college students who suffer from "social media addiction" or "the compulsive use of social media sites manifested by behavioral addiction symptoms... [which] include salience, tolerance, conflict, withdrawal, relapse, and mood change" (577) report "lower levels of self-esteem than students who scored low on social media addiction" and "it appears that people with low self-esteem).