Instagram Offers K-Pop Fans An Inside Look At Their Favorite Idols

K-Pop fans have another way to keep in touch with their favorite hallyu stars - the Instagram app brings them directly to your phone.

Unlike Facebook and official sites which are usually updated by representatives, Instagram photos are uploaded directly by the artists and offer an inside glimpse into their lives.

Kpop idols like miss A's Min and Jia (@therealminnn and @mjbaby0203, respectively), Eli of U-KISS (@u_kisseli), and Lim of the Wonder Girls (@wg_lim) often post photos hanging out with friends and family, working on their latest music projects, and self-portraits (selca) for fans.

Other celebs give followers an exclusive look backstage while rehearsing or on tour. @youngbeezzy (Taeyang of Big Bang) is known for sharing hilarious pictures of his bandmates goofing off while on the road, and before the release of Epik High's most recent album, 99, Tablo (@blobyblo) posted shots from the writing and recording process to his Instagram account.

One of the most prolific Instagramers is hip-hop artist Gonzo (Dok2). He has posted nearly a thousand pictures to his account, @dok2gonzo, already and the images are not all that different from the typical Instagram user - he likes to snap photos of his food, his clothes, and himself, with the occasional picture of a cute animal thrown in for good measure.

Following the old musing "A picture is worth a thousand words," Instagram, unlike other social media outlets such as Twitter, bridges the difficult language barrier many fans have with their favorite performers. International followers can see what the idols are up to without having to translate the Korean text and comments left on the celebrity uploads are diverse, written in as many languages as you can think of.

The picture-based social network is not just a forum for the stars, however. Thousands of fan-based Instagram accounts allow followers to stay in touch with each other and share their favorite images.

Some accounts are dedicated to specific idols or groups, while others offer images from an array of different acts.

This means that members K-Pop's worldwide fanbase are only a hashtag away from each other. Hashtags like #ilovekpop and #kpopfans give app users a chance to connect across the globe, building friendships and initiating dialogue with other fans.

What's more, as seen with Big Bang's worldwide "Alive Tour," concert-goers have been able to find one another through Instagram and meet in person at the shows.

Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and was launched in October 2010. Since then it has grown to over 100 million users. It is supported by iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch as well as Android camera phones. There is currently no support for Windows phones.

Check out instagram for more information.

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