The New York Times is the latest media publisher to foray into storytelling reporting and photojournalism on social media by unveiling its primary account on Instagram, suggesting that image-based stories may resonate most positively with mobile device users.

The account, which can be located via the @NYTimes handle, is designed for the publisher to showcase work by its staff members and freelance photographers to provide more context to top news stories. The brand is also seeking to experiment with what it refers to as an Instagram-first storytelling method.

?The @nytimes Instagram account gives us the opportunity to intimately interact with people interested in visual storytelling,?said Alexandra MacCallum, assistant masthead editor for audience development, The New York Times, New York. ?We see the account as a visual amplification of our daily report.

?We will of course post images that go along with our enterprise stories and the news; often, though, we'll post original photos to @nytimes. We'll seek to provide richer context to breaking news and insights into how our photojournalists work with the hope that it becomes something of a conversation with our readers.?

Social media strategy
Although the New York Times has a well-established presence in the media industry, as well as a globally renowned reputation, tailoring content to social media is a smart move. More consumers prefer consuming news material in bite-sized, snackable pieces, which often feature high-resolution photos.

The Times hopes that its Instagram account will allow for more intimate interaction with its loyal readers, as well as potentially cater to the large millennial audience that is active on social media.

Its Instagram strategy was created to amplify its news reports and breaking stories.

The publisher believes that the social and mobile space will enable the Times to bolster brand awareness as well as entice potential new fans with a greater emphasis on photojournalism.

Photo campaign
The Times is gearing up to launch its Instagram account by teaming up with photographers worldwide to tap their interpretation of the publisher?s chosen ?Beginnings? theme. The series is set to run on Instagram from Mar. 9 to Mar. 15, with new photos from a different location featured each day.

?The word ?beginnings? gave us the space to be creative and to not only showcase the work of seven very different voices, but inspire seven different photo projects, all shot in different parts of the world,? Ms. MacCallum said. 

The first photographer to kick off the series is Bryan Denton, who was present for the start of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone?s decline. His photographs will be focusing on the sentiment of touch.

United States photographers will be represented by Doug Mills and Todd Heisler, with Daniel Berehulak in India, Newsha Tavakolian in Iran, Sim Chi Yun in China and Adam Ferguson in Thailand set to have their work featured as well.

While the Times also has Instagram accounts for a variety of sectors it covers, including travel, food, sports and fashion, this marks the first time the publisher is unveiling a primary account for general fans.

Fellow publication The Economist recently announced the continuation of its partnership with Samsung, which will see The Economist app become available on all of the mobile manufacturer?s next-generation devices (see story).

?Instagram specifically represents three of the biggest digital landscape shifts: social discovery, mobile consumption, and visual content,? Ms. MacCallum said. ?It is the most visual of all existing (and popular) social platforms.

?There is an important conversation happening around Instagram as a tool for storytelling in the photography community, and we want to be part of it.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York