Nowadays, it is nearly impossible to imagine that some people do not have mainstream social media. At least, that is the impression I got. Whenever I tell people I do not have Facebook, Instagram, X or TikTok, they react with surprise as if they cannot believe what they hear. I have good reasons for keeping social media usage limited to Reddit only (I did not get paid to say this). Today I will only discuss why I do not have Instagram and never will.
Instagram, is the platform known for posting photos, which you can set either private or show to the world. If you decide to share your photos on Instagram, you will end up feeling like you are in a competition because let’s be real, nobody would post ‘normal’ photos. The focus on aesthetics is high, which leads to a higher pressure to outperform your peers. You will end up in a vicious cycle where you feel like you have to keep on proving that your life is better than other people’s. Your mind will keep drawing to how many likes, comments, and followers you have. Your world might end up revolving around receiving (constant) validation. This does not sound good for your self-esteem.. or even your mental health.
Nowadays, there are also a lot of tricks to create the perfect photo, but what a lot of viewers do not realise is that it is entirely fake. Instead, they will start doubting themselves and wonder why they do not look so good. This could result in body dysmorphia. With the use of filters, people can alter their faces AND bodies entirely. Even the background can be changed. Why post a picture of you in the garden, if you can alter it to a luxe holiday destination? It can be all faked and most people would not suspect it. You can live the life of a celebrity on Instagram, as long as you know how to fake everything.
People only share the highlights of their lives and heavily edit their photos. The filters are the biggest problem. It creates a distorted view of reality. Nobody has texture-free skin. Nobody has “perfect” body proportions. Natural beauty is flawed. Instagram beauty is perfect. It is even worse when they use filters and claim that their body looks like that because of a certain diet, product or workout. You can see why I think it is very harmful. Constant exposure to these perfect images and lifestyles can lead to feelings of inadequacy and jealousy, which makes it difficult to appreciate the beauty of one’s own life and appearance. Just as they say: “Comparison is the thief of joy”.
I was never drawn to Instagram in the first place, because I am someone who values privacy a lot. I do not like to share my life with the world and I also do not see the point (to show off). You can say I am more of a lurker than a participant. When I saw articles appear about how harmful and fake Instagram is, I became sure that I would never be part of it. No matter how tempting it becomes. I appreciate my privacy and well-being over anything. Oh, and also my time. Scrolling endlessly to see what others do in their life, is not exactly my cup of tea. I would rather waste my time on Reddit.
Take this post with a grain of salt 😀
For fun:
For me the most important reason to stay away from Instagram is my time, because Instagram seems quiet addictive. I find it interesting to read what reasons other people have and I’m interested to know whether they also sometimes fear of missing out.