With COVID-19 keeping many people home much of 2020 and families taking precautions to keep each other safe, seniors might be looking for new ways to connect with those outside of their community. Whether you want to keep up with the grandkids or you’re looking to connect with people who are interested in the same things you are, Instagram is an option to consider.
One of the many lifestyle amenities at Bethesda Gardens in Monument is free Wi-Fi internet that you can use throughout the community and in your own assisted living apartment. If you have a smartphone or other mobile device, you can download the Instagram app to get started with this fun social media network.
Instagram is a social media platform. It’s designed to connect people who are interested in the same things. You can share photos and other images, videos and text on the platform. Find out more about how to use it below.
To use Instagram, you must download the app and create an account. This only takes a few minutes, and you can create an account and browse content from others without ever posting your own. So, don’t be afraid to check out the app to see what it’s all about.
Follow the steps below to sign up for an Instagram account.
1. Download the Instagram app from your app store. It’s available on Android, Apple and other major platforms.
2. Enter a username and email address or sign in with an existing Facebook account. Add a profile picture.
3. You can choose to complete the rest of the information, such as a short bio, but this is not required to start using your account.
Begin following other people to see their content. You can follow people you already know by looking up their Instagram username. Do so by clicking the magnifying glass at the bottom of the screen to enter Explore mode. You can then type into the bar that says search. You can also scroll through suggested content from Instagram and follow accounts that look interesting.
You can also follow hashtags. Hashtags are short phrases with a pound sign in front of them. Examples of hashtags include #fashion, #books, #romanticcomedies, #christianfiction, #woodworking or #crochet.
People put these tags on posts to make them easier for others to find and to help people know what the post is about.
You can search for content related to things you’re interested in by entering hashtags in the search bar (click the magnifying glass). You can also follow hashtags so that content with those tags is more likely to show up in your normal feed.
You can enjoy everyone else’s content without ever creating any of your own. But if you do want to join in the fun, it’s fairly easy. Add photos and other content to your feed — that’s the part that shows up automatically and people scroll through when they open the app — by following the steps below.
1. Click the square with a plus in it at the bottom center of the screen.
2. Choose an item from your gallery to post an image that’s already on your phone. Or click “photo” at the bottom of the screen to take a new picture to share.
3. Click “next” at the top right corner.
4. Choose a filter if you want. These change the color or look of your image.
5. Click “next” again.
6. Type a caption for your post if you like. This is optional. You can also include hashtags to identify what your post is about or tag people.
7. Click share.
That’s it! You’ve made your first Instagram post.
Posts in your feed are there unless you manually delete or discard them. You can also add posts in your Instagram Stories. These last for 24 hours.
To do so, click the camera icon at the top left of the screen. Ensure “Story” is highlighted at the bottom center. Take a picture by pressing the white circle.
You can use the buttons at the top of your screen to add text, cute digital stickers and other items to your post. Play around with those buttons to see what you can add. You can drag anything you add to the bottom center of the screen to delete it.
Once you’re happy with the content, click “your story” or “send to” at the bottom of the page to send the content to your Story.
You can also send direct messages to family and new friends on Instagram. From the main page, click the arrow in the upper right corner. Search for someone or click on them from the list. You can type a short text message, send a picture or click and hold the microphone to send a short voice message.
