It’s 1843 and the Oregon Trail is upon us, and you’re not gonna want to miss any content along this wild ride! So whether you’re settling on which Indian headdress will show off your “cultural side” or you’re just trying to stay alive, these Instagram hacks will help you get the most out of your #oregontrailexperience.
Follow @oregontrail for behind-the-scenes content on which horses can survive the 2,170-mile journey on a strict “dirt diet” and receive updates on the 268,000 pioneers attempting the trip. We’re estimating that 15,000 will not make it home. Regardless, their Instagrams will live on forever!
Here are some creative tips and tricks if you’re on your way towards the westward expansion:
Focus camera: This new feature will let you capture high-quality photos and videos for knolling your color-coded emergency food stash. You can bump up the saturation to accentuate the color of your cornmeal and show off how little you packed. Looks like you didn’t bring enough firewood either; oh well, raw prairie dog will have to do!
Mention sticker: Instagram has launched a new @mention sticker, which makes it easier to mention @UncleTeddyKilla as he skewers his spear into the skull of every last buffalo. Be sure to use the hashtag #lastbuffalochallenge to compete with your friends!
Superzoom: Add some pizzazz to your video content using Superzoom. Now you can control the timing of your video for the ideal zoom-in moment: when your fellow wagoners drown crossing a river or get run over by a wagon traveling at three miles per hour. You can even focus in on the frostbite spreading from your fingertips right before you outstretch a very stiff thumbs up. Nice!
Stickers & Face Filters: If you want to be a little more creative, try using the stickers and face filters. Give ordinary photos of your humdrum life some flare by adding a GIF sticker of your own oxen collapsing from dehydration in slo-mo. And if you’re looking a little parched, or your cheekbones are protruding a little more than usual, throw on the “Fully Fleshy” filter to fill out those hollow areas!
Polling Sticker Feature: What if you want to find out which route of the trail your followers are most excited about? Or ask them who they’d rather let die from a Native American ambush: Lewis or Clark? Add a poll to your Instagram Stories to let your friends have their say. You can even give your followers a guessing game: is it a case of cholera or dysentery?
Instagram Live: If you prefer to stream your raw experience, you can broadcast live to your friends how many animals, adults, and children you sacrificed in order to get to the beautiful Oregon countryside. Remember, it’s about the journey, not the destination. And, in this case, it’s about making it there with all your limbs intact.
Hope these Instagram survival tips help you make the most of your #oregontrailexperience. And please be sure to use #lastbuffalochallenge throughout the trip so we don’t just make history, we make social media history!