The pop diva Beyonce set Instagram on fire with a video post highlighting the new visual album with one word; Surprise. Within 12 hours, fans generated more than 12.5 million tweets according to the New York Daily News. Ms. B, with her 8.1 million Instagram followers and 13 million Twitter followers, also surpassed the tweets per minute (TPM) record previously generated around the network premier of the film Sharknado (5,300 tweets per minute). With only 8 tweets to her profile on Twitter but 304 posts on Instagram, Beyonce also set a precedent for how artists are communicating with their fans via social media.
The initial Instagram announcement was followed with a press release in which the artist explained her strategy, “I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it. I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist and the fans. I felt like I didn’t want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans.”
Since it’s launch in October 2010, Instagram, a photo and video sharing site, has gained more than 80 million users who have shared more than 4 billion photos or short videos. Users are flocking to the mobile-based platform to see not only what their friends and family are sharing, but to engage with their favorite brands, public figures, news networks, actors and musicians.
Earlier this year, musician Justin Bieber also capitalized on the popularity of the site when he posted a photo of himself with one of his mentors, Will Smith. The photo gained more than 1.4 million “likes”, making it the most popular Instagram post of the year. From a music industry standpoint, it also alluded to future collaboration between the two popular artists.
The Facebook-owned site moves into this year with a new direct sharing feature that allows users to privately share photos with up to 15 followers. However, at the foundation of the platform is still the ability for brands and celebrities to make major public announcements to their fans.
Guest post by Charla Batey. Charla is a social media enthusiast and music lover. You can follow her on Instagram @CharlaBean.
