‘Guides’ from Instagram are a new way for people to discover curated, reliable recommendations from people they trust
Internationally acclaimed actor, fashion icon and mental health ambassador from India, Deepika Padukone and Instagram announced a unique initiative, wherein the actor has exclusively curated a ‘Wellness Guide’ on Instagram, as part of the ongoing global Mental Health Awareness month. The ‘Wellness Guide’ is Instagram’s new feature to keep people inspired during these tough times.
‘Guides’, from Instagram, is a new way to easily discover recommendations, tips and other content from your favorite creators, public figures, organizations and publishers on Instagram. With many people struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ‘Guides’ will first be focused on wellness and mental health content. Globally, Instagram is enabling public figures and creators to connect with expert organizations to share resources during this time, and for India, it is Deepika Padukone, along with The Live Laugh Love Foundation, that has curated this guide.
Deepika Padukone, who recently received a Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2020 for her leadership in raising mental health awareness, said, “I am sure we all agree that the past several weeks have not only been exceptionally unusual but also very difficult; uncertainty about the future, loss of livelihoods, and the inability to be around family and loved ones, are just a few of the challenges facing us. And situations such as these, often lead to or aggravate mental illness. I look forward to sharing with all of you some of the things I’ve been doing over the past several weeks to nurture my mental health, and I hope you find them useful too.”
In the words of Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, Facebook – India, South and Central Asia, “At Instagram, we’re aware of the impact the pandemic is having on young people globally. We want to support their mental well-being by amplifying mental health resources and empowering creators to create inspiring, wellness related content. The Wellness Guide is a step in that direction and we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Deepika Padukone and her foundation, who’ve been playing a leading role in promoting consciousness and action on mental health.”
To view the Guide, visit the profile of @DeepikaPadukone or The Live Laugh Love Foundation (@tlllfoundation). Then, tap the middle icon to view the ‘Wellness Guide’. While viewing it, you can see posts and videos that she has curated, paired with helpful tips and advice. If you want to learn more about a specific post, you can tap on the image or video to view the original Instagram post. You can also share a Guide to your story or in Direct by tapping on the share button in the upper right corner. In the coming days, you’ll also be able to access Guides within the Explore tab.
While everyone can view the Guide, creation currently has only been opened to a small group of wellness expert organizations, publishers and creators across the world. This may expand to additional focus areas in the future.
This new feature is another step from Instagram to support the community during these times. In the past couple of months, the platform has launched the ‘Thank you hour’ and ‘Dhanyavad’ stickers to help you express gratitude towards those who’re helping you get through these times, new safety features to manage unwanted interactions and curating a series of ‘Live In Your Living Room’ series of Instagram Live music concerts to help bring people together.