Instagram. We've lived with Instagram now for 9-11 years and who can remember when we used to stick black and white boarders around our photos and practically post blurry images? Now, there is a high pressure and aesthetic around Instagram where everyone feels the need to be perfect and receive high amounts of likes for their images.
Over the last few years, I have heard or overheard so many people say that Instagram depresses them. Everyone who has felt this (and I do include myself with this group of people) have their own reasons for feeling negative emotions while on or thinking about Instagram. Personally for me, I love my Instagram and have always loved posting on this particular social media site, however, as times have changed and other people's way of using the site changed, I felt more and more embarrassed and judged about what exactly I was posting. For me, I've always used Instagram to post pictures of the things around me or what I'm doing - yes, the type where, when you go for a meal or a cup of tea in a cafe and take a picture, that's me. The only thing is, everyone did this before and slowly (to me) it felt like everyone grew out of it, yet I still do it. So, in this sense, I feel self conscious that people would see what I post and judge me for it. Plain and simple.
In no way, shape or form, are the things I post 'perfect', 9.99 times out of 10, the things I post are not staged and genuinely are as they are in front of me, in my home and in that moment. The only time I would 'stage' something is when, as mentioned, I would move a cup of tea into the shot, or perhaps the breakfast dish I'm having (i.e posting my breakfast and tea together, sometimes even with the book I'm reading - which I would actually be reading with my breakfast and cup of tea that morning) I have no interest in making fake photos for my Instagram, it's for my personal use and I would forever know that, that one photo wasn't generic. So staging up a scene simply for a photo doesn't appeal to me. However, an awful lot of Instagram posts, as of late, fit into these ~perfect~ categories - which I feel is where our problem starts.
Over the years, Instagram has evolved from a place where people will post simple photos, to a place where every second person is an influencer, a professional Instagrammer, or a person that upholds a high, professional aesthetic while taking photos of their fabulous life. An awful lot of people will scroll aimlessly through these types of photos and feel as though that they don't or won't be able to uphold this type of lifestyle themselves, therefore measuring up their worth or value depending on who or what they were seeing around them. People can't help but compare themselves to others, it's human to do so but it also doesn't help certain things like mental health. The only thing is, these photos are not representations of an actual reality. There's a comparison trend between 'Instagram vs Reality', where people show just how easily it is to fake a photograph of looking super slim by holding in their breath, standing a certain way, or, taking a photo in heels then taking then straight off again, and looking as though they're travelling in style, while actually the rest of their luggage is out of the frame. Don't get me wrong, we all want to put our best selves forward and leave out the double chinned photos we can all easily take, but then slowly, you begin to favour the fake photos and crave the amount of likes you could receive - which is not healthy.
Making Instagram casual again.
It's the idea that there should be less pressure when it comes to posting a picture on Instagram, where one shouldn't feel as though they have to follow the unwritten rules of social media that everyone seems to follow. For example, posting more than once a day (or posting consecutive photos), all the filters on your page have to match to create a 'look', reducing the caption to be no more than five words, or even posting a simple, single emoji as the caption, using absolutely no hashtags as now it's seen as 'needy', and feeling the need to establish an aesthetic theme - basically, trying to achieve the ideal perfection of a curated profile. Let's not do any of this.
How can you get behind this? Well...
- Don't think too much about what you're posting. If you happen to see something that takes your fancy but feel no one would like to see it - post it! It's your Instagram page, if you like the look of whatever you've just taken a photo of, post it!
- Type an actual caption! If you're not sure what, say something that you would actually say to someone if you were showing them that photo. Your good friends will read it and probably smile and whatever you've written, knowing that that is exactly the type of thing you would say.
- Don't be afraid to use hashtags. Some may say this is contradicting, but regardless of what it looks like, they create a sense of community - if you decide to take up a new hobby, it can be a way for other's who share the interest to not feel alone. How many times have you searched for a certain something and come up with multiple posts on the matter? That's because they put the hashtag on it so you could find it! Even if it's not a hobby thing, add a hashtag anyway.
- Allow it to become fun again - forget who you follow, and forget who follows you. Post what you want to post, when you want to post it. Don't feel any pressure when posting and feel happy that you did it! It's how the saying goes, dance like no one is watching, sing like no one can hear you - post to Instagram, without any judgement and for your own happiness.
- Become honest - post a picture of your cup of coffee and admit how terrible it is, rather than pretending everything is perfectly fine. Tell the world how you truly feel - take a picture of the trees and admit that, given then chance, you would like to have a leaf fight again, like you had when you were younger, rather than just saying 'Autumn' for a short and simple aesthetic title.
- Be real. Don't try to impress anyone, do it for yourself and remember that, at the end of the day, when you're the one who looks back over your social media, would you prefer to see a collection of fake, staged photos or real situations and a real time capsule of memories, feelings, humour and... you
Don't fall to the Instagram pressures. Don't forget to be you