In the last few years, there has been a systematic campaign against Instagram, the photo and video sharing app, which turned 10 this week. It has been criticised for everything from polluting to diluting content. But I think that's unfair. I find it to be a completely democratic platform, and the very fact that it continues to be relevant even a decade on, is a big deal.

In fact, I owe a lot to Instagram. It exposed me to another world, and a community of like-minded people, which helped me hone my creative skills.

I joined Instagram in 2011, a year after it was launched on Apple's App Store. At the time, it was yet to launch on Android, and was still a niche app for users, especially in India. Because I owned an iPod Touch, I was able to download it. In the beginning, I created a profile with little intention to use it. I would just scroll and explore the interface. Then, Instagram was strictly a photo-sharing app, and you could only upload square images with a 1:1 aspect ratio. I found that to be fascinating. Several photographers took it up as a challenge. Another feature that stood out were the filters, which enhanced the images. None of us had seen anything like this until then, and while we have such apps by the dozen now, it was unique to its time. The filters were so popular that some of the classic ones continue to be part of Instagram till date.