Instagram is incorporated into our lives like no other generation. It is common for the first thing someone does when they wake up in the morning is open the app to look at their friends’ stories, check their following, or like posts. At this point everyone has, at least once, been momentarily consumed with the universal feeling of exhilaration that comes with posting. It has settled into our mindsets and wormed its way into our everyday lives as normal.
“Sometimes when I go somewhere, I think of what pictures I am going to take and what I am going to post,” Kylie Kim said.
Instagram sets itself apart from other social media platforms because its predominant function is sharing pictures of your life with a mass following. Whether it is through stories that last 24 hours or posts that could remain up for years, the allure of sharing aesthetic moments of what you are experiencing is what Instagram specializes in.
Never before have people relied on using posts to express themselves and their creativity quite as much as our generation does. This has become so prominent in recent years that some have made a livelihood from it–namely influencers. This does not necessarily mean it is a bad thing. Overall, using Instagram is quite innocent and harmless. Most users use it in faultless manners, and some barely even interact with the app at all.
“I just enjoy sharing little bits of my life as I travel or have fun though Instagram,” Jovina Che (9) said. “I also like knowing what my friends are doing as well.”
It can even be a way to give yourself some self-confidence when you post a cute picture of yourself online. Is it damaging to take some pleasure when you see the subsequent encouraging comments?
Is there really something malicious about this? Instagram is not inherently bad, but it is the way it is used that decides if it has consequences.
“I think social media is fun in small amounts, but too much of it can start to have negative effects,” Madelyn Araki (9) said. “Thinking too much about apps like Instagram is not good.”
In the same way that someone can boost their self-esteem, it may also inflate their ego. They can tie their self-worth and identity too tightly to the platform. And what happens when the love their posts and stories have received in the past stops reaching their standards? How many likes until they start to feel insecure? How many scrolls until they start comparing themselves to what they see?
Similarly, can Instagram be fostering fake online personas instead of fostering connections they claim they make between people? Cyber-bullying is no secret and sadly it has become rampant in modern day social media society. Instagram can make it easy to be dishonest, especially with an entire screen between two people.
However, not everyone has bad intentions when using the app. The normalization of Instagram into our modern lifestyle comes with both drawbacks and benefits. Instagram is not just responsible for unhealthy para-social relationships. It can bring people closer and build relationships with some things as simple as a considerate post.
“I love making birthday posts for my friends on Instagram. It’s my way of showing that I care about them,” Araki said.
Instagram offers an easy way for people to interact online and stay connected with others. From posting friends publicly or texting them privately, Instagram does not have to be a detriment to relationships. Be honest, does it not warm your heart to be tagged in a post after an outing? Is it not innocent to show a friend you have not seen in a while you still care through a small post?
It is important to keep in mind that interacting with Instagram does not automatically harm you. The harmful products of the app come after an obsession that consuming it unchecked will bring. Despite it becoming more and more prominent in modern society, Instagram should not be something that controls your entire identity.
“I post on Instagram for fun, but I do not let it worry me,” Che said.
In our lives, Instagram, and other social media platforms like it, are inevitable. And, admit it, everyone has felt happy picking out a special song for their story or asking their friends which order they should put their photos on their post. The dangers that come with Instagram should not stop you from finding little joys from using the apps. Remaining aware of how you view yourself without the presence of social media is important, but it does not mean you have to give up its presence entirely.
