Ah, the internet. Bringing people together since the dawn of the first dating sites in 1994. But, as it tuns out, online dating sites have a brand-new competitor - and it's one you probably already use.
"I got to know a lot about him just through his photos"
Say hello to Instagram, the Cupid of social media.
Yup, seriously; Instagram may have only been in existence for 3 years, but the app now has a global following of over 150 million users. That's about, ooh, say 16 billion photos. And, in those three years, a handful of users have found far more than a creative photographer to follow...
We're talking love, people. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love. Love-inspired-by-a-photograph love.
Well, they do say a picture can say a thousand words, don't they? And those photos were clearly saying all the right ones to these brand-new InstaCouples.
In 2012, Denis Lefargue commented on a picture of Crater Lake in Oregon that Texas-based photographer Elizabeth Wisdom had posted. After several back and forth visits, Denis proposed to Elizabeth by creating a 30-picture timeline from Instagram, chronicling their relationship, and shared the moment when he went down on one knee on Instagram.
No surprises, she said yes!
But they're not the only couples who found love on Instagram. Bailey Gates and Ryan Williams, from Washington State, both followed the hashtag #northwestisbest and began dating after Bailey commented on Ryan’s picture.
“I think it's such a cool window into someone's aesthetic and someone's life"
And the story is similar for Santiago Grovas and Taylor Dee; as well as Robin Coe and Matt Flemming, who are now engaged. All frequent Instagram users, all lovers of photography and, now, all happily in love.
In an interview with ABC news, Robin said: “I think it's such a cool window into someone's aesthetic and someone's life… I got to see what he was seeing through his eyes. I got to know a lot about him just through his photos."
Instagram has now even inspired a transatlantic marriage. Peter Cowans, from Basingstoke (that's right here in the UK!), and Zitta Rush, from Oklahoma, began following each other on Instagram several years ago. The two began commenting on one another’s photos on Instagram and were soon speaking everyday.
After flying out to meet Zitta in July, Peter set up a countdown on Instagram, sending followers into a frenzy wondering what was about to happen. Nothing like a slowly ticking timer to get people interested, eh?
"I got to see what he was seeing through his eyes"
In a bar full of people Peter popped the question and the pair married in Las Vegas two days later. Now, the pair’s 6,000 Instagram followers have helped bring them back together by donating money and buying souveniers from the couple’s wedding to help towards Zitta’s plane tickets to see her new husband.
In short, Instagram is a platform that aims to connect and inspire people. But it seems as if now, just maybe, people will find themselves falling in love as well.
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