Is Casual Instagram More Toxic than Posed Instagram?
Time to unarchive those pics ladies.
by HANNAH KROHNE ★ MARCH 3, 2022
Is it just me or does it feel like, scrolling through Instagram lately, posting a simple picture of your breakfast or a casual outfit picture has become the new norm? At Ugirl, we definitely think so. Instagram has become a much more casual place recently, and posting multiple stories a day seems almost like a requirement. All of a sudden, it feels like everyone lives in a dream world of insta-worthy meals, clothes, and hobbies. It seems so effortless and thoughtless yet so aesthetically pleasing.
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But, if you’ve ever tried to take one of these pictures for your own Instagram, you know how calculated these seemingly simple pictures really are.
Positioning the over-easy egg just right on top of your avocado toast, using your parents china as the plate because it photographs better, and making that smoothie that you don’t even want just so that you can place it in the top right corner of your picture. Sound familiar? I know I’m guilty of this.
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Now more than ever social media users feel pressured to romanticize every little detail of our daily lives. Don’t you miss the days when all you had to worry about was getting the perfect posed picture at your high school football game and then simply captioning it “Friday Night Lights”?
It is definitely safe to say that Instagram, and social media in general, has always been toxic. The pressure to produce casual Instagram pictures that seem natural and spontaneous at times can seem so daunting. There is a new expectation that you, your friends, and your life should be producing perfect content every single day. This just isn’t realistic, and can be frustrating, exhausting, and let alone time consuming.
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Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE expressing myself on my Instagram and I get a little rush of excitement every time I get the perfect picture to post on my feed. I also enjoy taking inspiration from my favorite influencers, and I even find myself purchasing from Instagram ads at times. Instagram has allowed me and others to stay in touch with long-distance friends as it is a great outlet to express oneself.
While I certainly won’t be deleting the app anytime soon, it feels wrong not to address the changes in social media trends and how that has affected my own daily routine and mental health. It has become increasingly important to be conscious about the content you want to consume on Instagram and to be aware of how that content makes you feel.
It’s okay to unfollow and mute people that are no longer making you happy! After all, we all know how much of a mental toll Instagram can put on us. And it's absolutely okay to take a break from posting 3 Instagram stories a day just to prove that your life is still interesting enough to post about. It’s so much more important to live in the moment than focus on getting the most perfect bikini shot. Use Instagram to the extent that it serves you, and when you feel yourself getting overwhelmed log off. Sometimes social media doesn’t feel optional, but it is.
Social media is ever-changing, and will find new ways to inspire us and exhaust us. So, post on Instagram in whatever ways make YOU happy- it’s your outlet to express yourself after all! Happy posting!
Cover Photo Credit: The Cresent Magazine