I’ll admit that I love Instagram.
Though I am fairly new to the social phenomenon, I’m hopelessly hooked. Whether I’m bored or awkwardly passing a distant acquaintance on the sidewalk, I have my app open. There is something about posting a picture and getting those “like” notifications that is so thrilling; it literally spikes my adrenaline. I can also easily recognize a fellow addict. Just look for the person on their phone rapidly scrolling up and stopping for the occasional double tap.
Of course, I thought my addiction was harmless at the time of my discovery. However, as my curiosity grew stronger, I've begun to uncover Instagram's dark side. It all started when I learned about the rules of the "follower-following" ratio. This is how my younger cousin explained it to me. On Instagram, there are two important numbers at the top of your profile: the number of people following you and the number of people you are following.
My 11-year-old cousin told me that it looked better to follow fewer people than are following you. It was then that I realized most Insta users followed the pattern. I didn't. Naturally, I felt self-conscious. How do I fix my ratio?
My friend told me about this app: The Followers App. She told me that it would keep track of what people were not following me back. Of course, I was intrigued. I got to work on my quest for the perfect follower-following ratio.
What I discovered was disheartening; people who had previously requested to follow me immediately unfollowed me once I followed them back. I tried to not make it a habit of asking my youngest cousin for advice, but I once again asked her opinion on the matter. She told me this was a common strategy for people trying to improve their ratio.
They would request to follow other people in the hopes that those people would follow them back. Then they would unfollow the people they just requested.
It was then that I realized the crookedness of Instagram, a social media engine populated with teens and pre-teens keep in mind. It's a game, a game of politics. I feel like I have to present a certain image to the public with my account, for there are so many subtle social expectations.
With this, I've decided that my Instagram addiction had gone on long enough. I make plans to delete my account altogether, freeing myself of its petty social pressures. I haven't yet, however. Maybe I can't.
