How Instagram Stories are Getting Us Through a Pandemic
Growing up a teenager in the 2010s, I was constantly warned about the “dangers” of social media. I was told to get off my cell phone and look around at the “real world”. Yet, here we are in the year 2020, where the “real world” has become all too scary to look at. Daring to attempt human contact has become not only dangerous, but illegal, and watching the news feels as though I’m staring at the sun. So where do we turn to in our times of need? Well I, as many have, turned to Instagram.
Instagram released their “stories” feature back in 2018. As it was often percieved as a cheap imitation of Snapchat “stories”, many users revolted at the idea at first. People eventually warmed up to the new feature, and soon enough, my feed was filled with lit up pink and green profile circles and more new stories than I can get through in a day. What’s most interesting about Instagram stories though, is that they seemed to give people the privilege to be more open about their day to day lives. There always seemed to be a “code” to Instagram — what posts were and were not deemed acceptable — but with the arrival of stories, we saw a shift in that “code”. Stories allowed people to post whatever they desired, knowing that there were no longer any “likes” to count and within 24 hours their content would simply disappear.
Instagram stories have always been a sort of “window to the soul” on social media, but with the emergence of this global pandemic, they’re being used in both important and valuable ways. While social distancing keeps us physically distant, many have turned to social media to mediate our need for social interaction. Instagram stories have been one of the most active examples of this, and Instagram itself has played a hands-on role in the process. Instagram stories have not only been able to foster a sense of community and shared experience, but encourages people to actively participate in proactive behaviors and promote positivity.
B-I-N-G-O
First let’s talk about bingo cards. While they may be flooding your feed at the moment, there is a specific reason why people have decided to post and create bingo cards all of a sudden. The cards focus on a specific topic, whether it be as broad as “social distancing” or as particular as a high school’s sports club. The squares are filled with common experiences that members of the specific group may relate to. Users post the bingo cards to their stories and “check off” (aka mark in some way) all the squares that they’ve experienced in an attempt to get a “bingo”. The users are then prompted to tag three more users to fill out the card and do the same thing.
The cards may seem trivial at first, but the reason people like them so much is that they confirm common experiences. They build a sense of community in a time when we don’t feel like we have one, and create a mutual feeling of connection amongst everyone who fills one out. It’s as if saying that even though we have no common experiences right now, we’re still connected because of all the things that we’ve already done. So next time you’re about to roll your eyes at a bingo board, maybe fill one out yourself instead.
Stickers for Good
Instagram saw the need for a shared “space”, and by the first day of quarantine, Instagram had released a “stay-home” sticker. Users who posted the sticker to their story would automatically contribute to Instagram’s global story. Instagram took it one step further with the release of their new “thank you hour” sticker. The “thank you hour” sticker works similar to the “stay-home” sticker where you get the chance to contribute to a global Instagram story, but this sticker’s mission is primarily to take the opportunity to express what or who you are grateful during this pandemic.
The stay home sticker was not only a way to raise awareness about the need to stay home to stop the spread of COVID-19, but also served as a reminder that we are all in this together. The “thank you hour” sticker further contributed to Instagram’s positive influence by reminding users to be grateful for what they have, instead of focusing on what they can’t have or do.
Do you accept the challenge?
Speaking of positive influences, I can’t be the only one who has begun to lack motivation during this quarantine season. There’s nothing like a challenge, however, to get people motivated. Challenges such as the “see ten do ten challenge” have been widespread throughout Instagram stories. “See ten, do ten” challenges users to do ten push-ups and post them. Even celebrities have gotten in on the action!
The best part of these challenges is that they keep evolving. Sports communities have created their own takes, such as the newest “pants off” challenge recently accomplished by Simone Biles (which is as simple as taking your pants off, but in a handstand). For the sake of this article I gave it a go myself and to say it’s difficult is quite the understatement.
The challenges are a great form of motivation for many and have become as infectious as the ALS ice bucket challenge back in the day. They encourage people to DO things, whether that be try a new hobby, or workout a bit. In the world of feeling stuck inside these challenges act as a way for us to accomplish something and become a part of a larger community.
So, however you’re feeling during this pandemic, whether you’re lonely or just miss having people around you, know that you are not alone. If social media isn’t your thing,whatever makes you feel together and whole is exactly what you need to be doing. Take care of yourselves.
