I don't use a lot of social media these days. After wrestling with the decision for months, I decided to keep Facebook and tamp down on my privacy settings. I still have a Twitter account but almost never use it. Ditto Linkedin and Nextdoor. Pinterest is mostly being used to amass a giant collection of movie poster images. Reddit is the only site I use too much, mostly to chat about movies in obscure subreddits. I have Skype, but no other chat or messaging apps.
Then there's Instagram, which I admit that I created an account for just to score a couple of extra freebies for Disney Emoji Blitz. Initially, I expected to have no use for it. It's a heavily graphics oriented system, meant for sharing pictures and videos. Instagram reminds me a lot of Pinterest or Tumblr in the way it sort of emulates a digital photo album or scrapbook, but the emphasis is on original content instead of grabbing existing images and videos from elsewhere on the web. I definitely understand the appeal. You can follow celebrities like Adam Savage or The Rock, who mostly promote the things that they work on, but also offer glimpses of their personal lives. And there's something far more immediate and intimate about photos and videos than written text, like tweets.
Instagram isn't really suited to my needs or interests. My blogging is primarily text based and I've always been wary of sharing too much online. I'm always paranoid of any photos I post on Facebook showing too much. Instagram has also developed a rather unfortunate reputation these days because of the "influencer" culture that has developed there. "Instagram models" can become rich and famous if they present the right image and attract enough followers. The popular Instagram photo filters can help to transform anyone into an unreal fantasy version of themselves. There's a whole Reddit community devoted to skewering the most egregious examples.
And the result of this has been a significant chunk of the user base that is running afoul of a toxic digital environment full of impossible standards and raging narcissism. Mental health professionals have warned that Instagram can wreak havoc on a person's well-being and happiness due to the constant exposure to only the most perfectly curated and touched-up moments from other people's lives. As with Facebook, people only put the version of themselves online that they want other people to see, but on Instagram the impulse is even worse because of the cults of celebrity that aggressively push and exploit these images. Kylie Jenner and Beyonce Knowles have the most followed accounts, and they make millions off of sponsored posts. It boggles the mind.
However, there are plenty of Instagram users that don't have anything to do with the influencers. I have several artist friends with accounts, and found myself adding them to help boost their profiles. I like seeing the new projects they're working on, often following in-progress pictures day by day. A couple of local organizations and businesses are active there too, and their accounts are another way to keep an eye out for events and sales. My kid's daycare doesn't have a Facebook page, but it has an Instagram feed. Mindful of the kids' privacy, the photos are mostly of class art projects. And as a media junkie, I like being able to look at all the photos from events like this year's Met Gala or Comic-Con without having to wade through the ad-heavy sites of the usual gossip press.
So put this down as another case of social media being what you make of it. For every report of Instagram models behaving like brats for more subscribers, there's somebody using it to share art or to promote a good cause. Currently the most liked post on Instagram - or on any social media - is the infamous egg picture posted in January, which was eventually revealed to be part of a mental health awareness campaign. Some characterized its viral triumph as a win against celebrities and consumerism. I think it was just the latest bandwagon that everybody jumped on.
Instagram is big enough that I find it difficult to ignore. I still don't use it very much, but I've found it worth keeping an eye on. For now.
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