From Insta reels to Snapchat stories, POV is everywhere. It has become a buzzword in the world of social media and taking over the content game to another level. This cinematographic jargon is now social media slang and is setting the ball rolling for content creators.
POV meaning in photography
POV, which stands for Point Of View, is a popular expression in photography. It refers to a camera technique that allows the audience to see things from the subject’s perspective. Filmmakers use POV shots to put the viewer into the action and show things from the character’s perspective. The technique is helpful in connecting the audience with the subject and delivering an immersive experience for them.
POV meaning on Social Media
POV in social media is used to tell the story from the creators’ perspective. The influencers use the concept of POV to create relatable and engaging content for their followers. Some take the cinematographic approach to it where they manipulate camera angles to allow the viewers to see things from their perspective, while others use it to showcase their life in a real way and use the POV approach to narrate the story. Creators use POV captions or on-video caption style to make the audience feel like they are living the moment too. The technique is helpful in connecting the audience with the subject and delivering an immersive experience for them. POV in social media gained traction as it puts the viewer into action and shows things from the character’s perspective. Many viewers could instantly connect to the content and then share it with their friends and followers.
Moreover, the personalization trait of social media content has further given rise to the popularity of POV in social media.
Social media content is immersive and personal as the user gets the content on their personal devices. It gives users the liberty to watch videos at their convenience – anywhere, anytime. These features clubbed with relatable content have fuelled the growth of POV in social media.
POV soon became a trend for its ability to create a sense of connection between the audience and the influencer. It tapped into various emotions of the viewers, from hysterical to heart-warming. Some popular examples of POV on social media include:
“POV: We’re on a date.”
You’re watching me while I get ready.
You’re enjoying life with your besties.
You’re on a family vacation.
I just left my job to pursue my passion
POV and its soaring popularity
POV, which started as one of the caption styles, soon became a craze. Users could relate to their favourite influencers and wanted to give the format a try. Many users adopted the POV style for their posts and shared their views or part of their lives with their followers. The trend empowered them with a user-friendly and impactful way to showcase their life and make them relatable to their followers. From a mere hashtag, it has now evolved into a movement that has brought like-minded individuals together and also levelling-up marketing strategies.
It helped influencers get more likes and engagement while, to some extent, giving ordinary people a voice. It allowed them to express themselves creatively without any judgment.
How to be a better POV influencer?
To be successful at POV, you need to have a good understanding of your audience, camera angles, and content. Observing your surroundings, interacting with your target audience, and practising storytelling through lenses will help you get better at it. Here are some of the factors that you need to keep in mind to ride on the POV trend.
Content: POV is a caption technique. Your caption needs to be short and impactful (especially if it’s an on-video caption). Spend time understanding your audience and making sure that you use the most relevant words to connect with them.
Light: Lighting is a game-changer. Remember, social media is all about visuals, and if you’re shooting a POV video that is not well-lit, it can kill the entire experience.
Music: In the end, what makes POV videos interesting is the music. Music helps in setting the mood of the video. As per the setting and message of the POV, try to use the music that best complements it.
Other meaning of POV
While POV is mostly referred to connote “Point of View” on social media, in some instances, it could also be used as a short form of poverty. There are also instances in which POV has been used to refer to “personally owned vehicle” or “power of veto”. The power of veto context has been taken from a popular reality show.
More expressions like POV
TBT: In the internet culture, TBT stands for ‘Throwback Thursday.’ The idea is to post a photograph from the past on a Thursday. It is meant to be a fun way to celebrate nostalgia and take a road trip down memory lane with your ‘Instagram family.’ People revisit the “good old days” and share a memory that brings smiles to their faces. While some share cute childhood photographs, others share pictures from college, high school, or an event they attended. This is a great way to look back on the past and in some ways, look forward to the future.
OOTD: OOTD, which stands for ‘Outfit Of The Day’ is another trending hashtag on Instagram. The trend is a fashion post where the user shares the outfit they are wearing at the time. It is a style of self-expression where people share their sense of fashion with the world. It’s a popular trend among the young, where they follow who wore what for which occasion and where. It’s been around for a long time and has only gained popularity, with celebrities sharing their OOTD on their Instagram profiles.
WCW: It’s an acronym, popular on Instagram, to mean Woman Crush Wednesday. An Instagram user uses the expression to honour and highlight the accomplishments of a woman they admire. Among women, it became a thing where they used the hashtag #WCW to encourage each other. It created a ripple effect that is still spreading.
POTD: It’s an acronym for Photo Of The Day. Since its inception, Instagram has been a photo-sharing platform. POTD is one of those trends that backs the core idea of the application. POTD is an easy way to present an image that is a statement or a stand for something. A user uses POTD to share a photo that they feel is their best shot or important to the rest of the community.
CEO: While in the corporate world, the CEO might mean the head of a business, in the Instagram world, it means an expert in a field. If you call someone a CEO of XYZ on Instagram, it means they are the best in XYZ. Example: CEO of Fashion, CEO of Viral Videos, or CEO of Editing
Conclusion
Trends are meant to come and go, but POV is here to stay. It’s immersive, user-friendly, and relatable which makes it a massive hit. Even brands and marketers are jumping on the trend and using it to create stories that connect with audiences. They are coming up with unique marketing strategies to take the mileage of the POV trend. They have understood that people are hooked to POV videos and are coming up with more innovative ways to make their content captivating.
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