Following the lives of the rich and famous seems like a great thing, until it builds a sense of false confidence.
Instagram used to be about original content, art and showcasing the best of everyone’s photos, making photography more accessible.
Now, it’s about self-gratification through likes and being unique through art has become increasingly difficult.
Some people have rules about the photos they post — if it has under 50 likes in nine hours, take it down; at least three photos between selfies, we don’t want to seem vain; show the very best of our lives, not the times of despair or uncertainty.
Photography has always been about capturing the best and the purest emotions, but Instagram brings self-branding to a new level.
And we love it.
In a lot of ways, it is preserving our memories for the future.
What we preserve is what we want to be seen and shared, for both our current friends and the ones we’ll make in the future.
However, it’s still not an accurate representation of our real lives.
That’s so important to remember.
Everyone, despite how shitty their life is, will put their best face and best aspects online.
It’s easy to get caught up in everyone else’s perfect life when you still have to deal with the shitty aspects of your own.
Uploading superficiality has become our culture and that’s fine as long as we’re thinking critically about it.
Instagram is a great platform to show the best aspects of your life, but the “art” it was originally for is now the art of hiding.
Be careful what you’re filtering and absorbing.