Instagram is the best kind of social-networking – it encourages you to share actual content, small and large, from your life. It distills the question “What are you doing?” into a picture that you get to edit instantly. Had a great meal? Snap a picture. Beautiful view? Documented. Found a funny sign? Got it.

I propose that the beauty of Instagram might also be that it makes you think about little moments you may want to remember.

Using a camera would be too much of a hassle, but having Instagram on my phone makes it easy and convenient enough that I think to use it (and I get to share that photo almost instantly). Taking a picture of my friend holding an enormous bowl of ice cream now triggers memories for me of a funny comment she made. I might not have remembered it with as many specifics if I hadn’t thought to take out my phone at the last second and snap a picture.

Of course, many naysayers will argue that experiences are sullied by such documentation and that such technology creates opportunistic phone use and lack of being present. To them I say that at least for me, taking the picture actually allows me to be in the moment more – that is, the duplicate actually makes me appreciate the real thing at that very second.

Even the oft-derided filters, I would argue, add something – yes, many of them do make your picture look “vintage,” but they also give you a bit of leeway and creativity. One filter allows you to blur the foreground, while another lets you sharpen the contrast. Not only do I get to curate the image, I get to pick what its focus is and to control the visual result without opening Photoshop.

Instagram is easy, effective and, dare I say it, fun. Go ahead, succumb to the hype – you won’t regret it!