Nowadays, it’s hard to go out for a meal or take a scenic walk without someone saying, “hold on, I want to Instagram this.” And it’s no wonder. In 2015, Instagram came in 7th as the most used app, right behind others owned by Google, YouTube and Facebook. Instagram gained 100 million new users in nine months alone, beating out Twitter by a long shot and solidifying its ranking among the top apps owned by Facebook. With over 80 million photos shared per day, a slowdown is not in the foreseeable future.
From the movers and shakers to the policy makers, the content on Instagram varies, and so do its 400 million monthly users, three quarters of which live outside of the U.S. From aerial shots of beautiful landscapes to zoomed in takes of President Obama with his dog, the app is littered with a lot of diverse content. Although Instagram has become a platform to brand oneself, it also serves up a community that has no borders. Among the food ‘grammers, meme posters, and lifestyle branders are corporations, government entities, entrepreneurs, and news outlets who are all offering up advice, new ideas, and informative information.
In honor of the revamping of Vault’s own Instagram, we’re taking a minute to pay tribute to the Instagram accounts that have inspired us time and time again.
@levoleague is a site whose mission it is to "elevate" people to something they love and put a stop to the "marathon we call career." From cute pictures of dogs tucked into bed to powerful quotes set to minimalist backgrounds, the company's Instagram takes the stress out of ordinary yearning for success. The feed is more lifestyle than self-help, yet the ease with which motivation is brought in is manageable and digestible for even those who were not searching for it in the first place.
@linkedin is the single most vital platform to have a well-curated presence on in order to land an internship, interview, or job. The company's Instagram serves as a Yoda to job advice, full of key statistics that direct as to what fields are most hirable, how to approach a job search, and much more.
@businessinsider delves deep into any photo, offering up fully detailed descriptions rather than quick snippets that leave an empty message. Covering everything from groundbreaking news to stretching for every age, all posts are as informative as they are different. Because the photos are accompanied by a comprehensive text, the art of mindlessly scrolling is broken and each photo and story is brought to focus, enlightening the reader.
@forbes may deliver the latest business and financial news, but the magazine’s Instagram also includes carefully chosen quotes from successful people throughout history and interviews with others that are changing our world today. The account is funny, poignant, and assorted in terms of content, none of which lacks insight for everyone from high school teenagers to retired business owners.
@fastcompany's focus on technology, business, and design usually doesn’t stop there, but reaches into the arts and world politics to bring a new way of thinking about innovation and change. The magazine’s account is not just concerned with the “why” of change, but the “how” and through a considerable amount of engaging photos and questions that prompt scrollers to answer (or comment), @fastcompany has engrossed their audience in ways few others have done successfully.
@deepakchopra is one of the leading alternative medicine advocates alive today, founder of the Chopra Center, lecturer, and author of over 80 books, a quarter of which have been New York Times bestsellers. Included in these titles should be “Life Coach to All” because among his Instagrams of airplane views, visits to modern hospitals, and family photos are a multitude of motivational posts that give insightful advice not just for furthering a career, but for getting the most out of life.
@entrepreneur has gained nearly 1,000 followers per post, a number that is staggeringly high when considering the magazine’s account has only been around for two years. Techy and young, the feed is full of interviews with entrepreneurs who have imagined, discovered, or made something and want to share their insights with the rest of the world.
@humansofny is first and foremost an Instagram account about people, who they are and how they came to be there. While some stories focus on the past and others solely look to the future, all combine to reveal something about the human condition. While not initially thought of as a feed for career advice, the stories, full of raw emotion, can be as cautionary as they are be eye-opening, teaching us all how we can learn from one another's mistakes and achievements.
@richardbranson may be best known for founding the Virgin Group, but the philanthropist, self-proclaimed thrill seeker, and knighted billionaire has much to say and share about the world, with the world. Branson promotes an entrepreneurial way of thinking, from taking on full responsibility for one's work to living a life of no regrets.