Instagram is great, but are you happy?
The Holga camera. A plastic piece of seemingly amateur equiptment used for taking square photographs of lesser technical quality, but of considerable charismatic content. I know, because I’m a Photography student at a university, who fiddles with film and dips her hands in chemicals in the dark room. Apparently Co-Founder and CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, knew about the playfullness of the Holga as well, because he built a monumental social media platform based off of it’s basic personality. Squares, filters, and the fun sharing of glimpses into people’s lives.
Like me, Kevin Systrom took a photography class in college with a strong-willed professor (my film mentor has taught in the same department every day for over 30 years). Systrom was inspired by the Holga shoved in his hands, starting with the basics as teachers often insist, and the way he could manipulate the chemical baths to change the tones of his photographs. On October 6th, 2010 the world knew Instagram for the first time. Systrom assumed early on that playing with filters would encourage people to take pictures. Why couldn’t the app world mimic the dark room?
Instagram has slowly made its subtle improvements over time. If you were an older user you might remember the Holga-like, film filter that made your photo look like you just printed it from a negative, showcasing the black border and orange type and numbering around the square rim. That was removed over time, as I assume Instagram wanted to evolve past its film origins and cater to a broader audience with wider ideas. Over time Insta’ has added not only a larger quantity of filters, but more flattering filters for its users. Instagram has always updated in the face of its shortcomings.
I remember back when Instagram was suffering under the blow of the newly popular, short-video sharing app Vine, they added video capability to their own app, keeping up with the competition. Anyone recall the trending pun, “‘What’s wrong Instagram?’ ‘I’m Vine.’”? I do. Even still, Instagram evolved in March 2016, making its short 15 second video limit reach a newfound length of 60 seconds- a vast improvement catering to users that wanted to post more material.
In October of 2015 (I checked my own feed), Instagram updated posting for users to format their photos to full size, breaking past the square and giving a more elongated view of pictures while scrolling the news feed. Most recently the ‘Gram made a striking decision by changing their iconic logo (something I’m still not a fan of). May 11th 2016, I woke up to a new rainbow-esque icon amongst my apps that I didn’t recognize on my iPhone 5. Where’s Instagram? I thought. Even as a Graphic Design student that is taught about the art of simplification, I found the logo to be oversimplified, overdone, and the colors to be obnoxious. The overall redesign of the app was easy to get used to- the layout went from dark to a crisp white background and orange details became red (an attempt to place “more focus on your photos and videos without changing how you navigate the app.”) The new popping icon was the real debate for frequent users. Personally, I wanted the old, trendy, vintage camera back.
The initial comment reaction I investigated under Instagram’s new logo announcement was mostly negative. Even an article by The Guardian humors readers by displaying tweets of distaste over the new logo, as people were not used to it by day one. The original vintage camera logo has been tossed, but its remnants can still be seen, just in a most-simplified form, with white shapes signifying the camera outline in the midst of new colors. Still, people are and will continue to use Instagram. Those users, if they didn’t already love them in the first place, will get used to the new changes that Insta’ implements, just as they have in times before.
In light of all of these advancements and monumental achievements, what does Instagram look like today? Is it true to its roots? Is it just a way to share with others the photographically-represented material of your life in real time, with the fun aid of filters and captions? Instagram made a statement on its account about its new grownup outlook, “The Instagram community has evolved over the past five years from a place to share filtered photos to so much more — a global community of interests sharing more than 80 million photos and videos every day. Our updated look reflects how vibrant and diverse your storytelling has become.” As brilliant and heartwarming as that outlook is, I believe that people are getting lost in the shuffle, beyond what Instagram was truly, originally meant for.
It’s no new topic- people are struggling under the real-life pressures associated with social-media-sharing, specifically involved with Instagram. Just last year I remember reading an article about a very popular, insta-famous (we’re talking over half a million followers) Austrailian model that quit her Instagram life. She openly spoke about her dark feelings about her past account and how the persona she promoted through her pictures was “not real life.” Essena O’Neil kept nothing to herself- before she deleted upwards of 2,000 squares, she re-captioned much of the material, telling the truth about the moment, even giving intel on being paid for clothing brand promotion. Regarding a photo of her on the beach, she admitted having that photo taken over 100 times, straining to make her stomach look picturesque, and even skipping meals. O’Neil is now pursuing a more healthy lifestyle, having dug out of the Insta’ quicksand.
In another scenario last year, the CEO of the customer information and relationship treasure trove, Salesforce, eliminated a social media platform from his life as well. Marc Benioff felt his own social pressures reach the forefront, and as a result of the expectations placed upon him to interact via various social platforms, he quit Facebook. In an explanation he said, “I found it was just overwhelming me.” Facebook owns Instagram these days, but does it even matter the social platform? Don’t we all feel overwhelmed online like Benioff once in a while?
These social pressures don’t just weigh on the shoulders of famous models or impressive CEO’s like O’Neil and Benioff. These pressures to be liked, to be presentable, to be popular, to be more- they are present in the very normal lives of average people, users of all ages, famous or not. Get a load of the people around you who might be struggling, but posting a smile, hoping to receive some form of affirmation through “hearts”. Get a load of yourself doing the same exact thing.
An article online at The Cut walks readers through seven different college-aged Instagrammers’ experiences in how they masked their own insecurities through the app. A majority of the students were deeply troubled about one thing or another- moving away, not living up to their degrees, breaking up with long-term partners, etc., but they felt better for a brief moment when they posted a photo and could convince themselves they were still popular, happy, and actively participating in life. Getting likes is like a pick-me-up, but not getting enough likes is like coming down from a high, hard.
The truth about the negative effects of Instagram go deeper than opinion- they’re scientific, they’re imbedded in our beings, and our habits have been studied. The consumption of what others broadcast and your own self-promotion link with depression and feeling alone. Watching other people excel or post only their greatest moments can trigger jealously in users. Why does Instagram have a leg up on these side effects over other forms of social media? Pictures. “Selfie-Loathing” by Jessica Winter lays it out flat, “A photo can very powerfully provoke immediate social comparison, and that can trigger feelings of inferiority. You don’t envy a news story.” As self-promotion and “creeping” on others increases, the farther users get from reality.
Still, here we are signed up for a free app that gives us the highs and lows of a virtual reality. As seen from Instagram’s background, they always had good intentions, well-maintained services, and still keep us in mind with their updates. It’s the users that are shooting themselves in the foot. Anyone struggling emotionally or mentally over the social pressures of Instagram could learn a thing or two from happy users. Instagram allows the amateurs to have a blast with filters, while the pros work on their aesthetic. It’s a place to interact and give encouragement over an art form. Instagram is a free way to visually share our lives. Instagram was made to be fun.
Have we forgotten?
