São Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world; much of its population of 12m sees only a small part of it. Miguel Garcia uses Instagram to show them more.

He founded @saopaulocity four years ago in an effort to foster Paulistas’ city pride. “My motivations were to make people take care of the city and not just complain about its difficulties,” he says.

“Every big city has problems, but the population could fix many of those problems themselves by starting positive initiatives themselves and not just blaming the politicians.”

Garcia began by posting shots of his own favourite spots within the megacity, “not only the touristic places, the small places as well – those places that are in the daily paths of some people but are never noticed or explored”.

Eventually other Instagram users started sharing their own shots of São Paulo with him. Last year it was one of the most Instagrammed cities in the world, placing fourth behind only New York, London and Moscow.

Garcia’s account now has nearly 150,000 followers. He says he loves São Paulo for its diversity of nightlife, restaurants and cityscapes. “It does not matter if you are dining at an expensive restaurant or eating a hot dog on the street; whether you are in a nightclub in the trendy neighbourhoods, or at a funk party in the favela.

“Of course the economy could be fairer, and my hope is that it will be in the near future. But what makes me excited is that people always find a way to be happy, and to have fun in their way.”

The Guardian Cities team is in São Paulo for a week of in-depth reporting and live events. Share your experiences of the city in the comments below, on Twitter and Instagram using #GuardianSaoPaulo, or by email to saopaulo.week@theguardian.com. Follow Guardian Cities on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to join the discussion, and explore our archive here