Illustration by Jay Wallace
Facebook went from a cool, exclusive social media destination to a place where your grandparents comment on every photo. Twitter is what it is – a breaking news and content machine, but it also stirs up negativity.
*Instagram, on the other hand, has blown up in recent years as a simple photo sharing application without all the jazz behind it. *
We sat down with Browns wide receiver to delve into his social media prowess on "The Gram."
Kevin Jones: Is Instagram your favorite social medium?
Taylor Gabriel: Of course. I feel like you can interact more with the fans. I like putting up pictures and getting the fans hyped and stuff. And doing little things like that.
KJ: Where do you get all of these sick pictures of yourself?
TG: (Laughter) Actually, some people send them to me. Sometimes a Browns fan will tag me in an edit they make on Instagram. So shout out to our fans for most of the dope pictures.
KJ: When you post a picture on Instagram, is there a certain amount of likes you hope you get?
TG: I don't look at that! I look at the comments, though. And sometimes I'll comment back to the comments. So if you're saying something bad on my Instagram, watch out. I'll respond.
KJ: You've created the hashtag #GodWilling. Where did that start?
TG: It was something me and my dad kind of came up with. So #GodWilling means, if it's for you, then it's for you. If it's God's will to take you down a scary path, then you have to go down that path. It's crazy because a lot of people use #GodWilling now – other athletes, high school kids, even parents.
KJ: Who else is good at Instagram on the team?
TG: Oh, I've got to say Terrance West. He's so entertaining.
KJ: Let's talk about Terrance's Instagram feed. Why does he love singing in the car so much? And why does he post so many times each day?!
TG: (Laughter) T-West is one of the most entertaining guys I've ever met. He's just up to the beat. The thing is, he's trying to make people laugh. He's a funny dude. I love him, man.
KJ: What about the older guys that aren't on Instagram. Do you think they are missing out?
TG: Yeah, they are missing out. Either they are missing out or they are trying to hide something. I think some of them have Instagram's to check our pictures, but they don't post anything. They are missing out on all the fun.
KJ: There's always talk about Facebook or Twitter going away to some new, innovative social medium. Do you think something will ever overtake Instagram?
TG: I think it'll be here for quite a while, but there's always something brewing in the technology world that's going to up it. I bet you are on to something. Instagram will be temporary. But I still love it.
KJ: What about the people like me who don't have many Instagram followers – how do I get more?
TG: You just have to be more entertaining, man. You should actually take tips from Terrance West. Try and post once a day. Three posts a day is way too much. So keep it simple, keep it entertaining and maybe even try and come up with your own hashtag.
