Last weekend, Instagrammers from around the world gathered together for the 10th Worldwide Instameet (#WWIM10) to celebrate Instagram’s fourth anniversary. There have been more than 50,000 photos shared so far with the hashtag #WWIM10, connecting hundreds of Instameets across 6 continents. The largest WWIM10 meet-up we know of was in Jakarta where over 900 people showed up.
Singapore may not have gathered a big crowd like Jakarta, but our Instameet groups like @SGIG and @instaSG are very close knitted groups that always welcome newbies to professional photographers to join their group and to share experiences, ideas and techniques among the group to appreciate the joy of photography using either a smartphone or any camera.
Since the earliest days of Instagram, people have been meeting up offline and forming real-life friendships and communities via Instameets. Instameets are at the very core of the Instagram story. They’ve brought people together who live in the same communities but who wouldn’t have met otherwise. They’re a source of creative inspiration and collaboration. And in towns and cities around the world, they are bridging the digital divide and encouraging community.