Kitsch as in Instagram

I don’t like Instagram (or Hipstamatic for that matter) — the I turn your photo into something into a more romantically-worn-image-app. Yes, it looks nice. Don’t we all love the atmosphere of a Polaroid, but c’mon. Digitally recreated is kitsch! Fake authenticity. And so many are buying it.

No, I don’t really mind that Instagram is destroying bits by applying filters and reducing the camera’s output from 5MP to a .5MP pic, nor that they are forcing you into (yet another) social network. But when Chris Brogan asked whether “instagram makes you a better photographer?”, i turned a little sick. To me that is like asking whether a vocoder make you a better singer. Or a better analogy might be, as a vocoder allows for some genuine musical tweak-ability in the tool, whether Songify makes you a better musician (for those who don’t know Songify, it’s an app that turns speech into music).

As long as the looks are nice. And hurray if we can get something that makes almost everything look good. It makes me sad. (a similar sadness occurs to me when I enter an interior filled with IKEA-‘design’). Temporary nicely looking shots that will enter boredom soon enough (Instagram 3, will you add some new FX?). So cool. My new keyboard has an even better guitar sound.

You’ll be able to find the original kitsch Instagram here.