Ep 79 / Chatting with Phil González about the keys to Instagram… and the importance of disconnecting “at times”
Do you feel like your cell phone is an extension of your hand? Do you need to see every notification and when you wake up the first thing you do is pick up your phone? Do you think you spend a lot of time on Instagram? I will tell you that you are not alone.
We live in a hyperconnected world and there are applications, like Instagram, that catch us. They have evolved so much in recent years that they offer us endless content and fun.
If there is anyone who knows all the ins and outs of this app, who has seen the logo change and has witnessed how Instagram has evolved, that person is Phil González and we have had the luck and pleasure of chatting with him in our second episode of this fifth season of the podcast.
Phil has more than 20 years in digital communication working with large international brands. French and from an Extremaduran family, in 2011 he created the largest community of Instagram users in the world: Instagramers (#IGers), present in more than 80 countries. And today he can boast of having founded the only permanent exhibition on Instagram in the world: that was in 2014 and he did it with the Fundación Telefónica de Madrid.
The author of three books on social media and Instagram, Phil also lectures, teaches at business schools, and participates in major marketing campaigns. And, as he himself told us: “Instagram has changed my life.”
Two months after starting Instagram he already had his account and in these years he has seen, and experienced, everything. “Instagram was very nice, with those vintage filters and photos of cats and feet…” he remembers with a laugh. "And it's funny because we didn't go out then, very few people showed themselves until the selfie appeared in 2013 and the boom of egocentrism arrived." Later, other tools have arrived, such as stories or reels, which have turned Instagram into a unilateral communication tool “where people sell themselves.”
Phil knows perfectly well “Instagram and all its secrets”, the title of his latest book. And among those keys, when we at zubi asked him about one, he is clear: content is the key. “Without quality content, whether photo, video or comments, you will not be successful.”
Once again, the podcast has given us the opportunity to discover interesting people, to learn from and with whom we have connected in many ways. Phil has lived unique experiences that he would never have imagined, he has met influential people, his idols since childhood... He knows what fame is, having thousands and thousands of followers... and he has always had his feet on the ground, knowing that everything It is ephemeral minus the emotions.
With Phil González we have enjoyed and talked not only about the evolution and tricks of Instagram, but also about the future of technology, the use we make of social networks, influencers and the importance of knowing how to disconnect and, as he says, “ go to airplane mode.”
Press play, and you'll tell us if you put any of their tricks into practice...
Extra content:
We leave you here the references and books that we mentioned in the interview:
- Known Instagramers and the Instagramers Gallery in Madrid
- Instagram, much more than photos!
- Instagram and more!
- Instagram and all its secrets
- Go to airplane mode!
- Master in Digital Disconnection
