Almost everyone is familiar with Instagram. The app has had millions of users sharing pictures or videos every day since its wild spike in popularity in the spring of 2012. From those beginnings, the app has evolved into something of an art form; people spend hours trying to create a profile that makes their life seem amazing. Many girls use this as an opportunity to try and put on a “cool girl” facade. Fortunately, an outlet has come about on the same app in which they are free to be themselves and not have to worry about what others think of them: Finstagram.
Finstagram, or Finsta, as many call it, is a second Instagram account that people only let their closest friends follow in order to post funny or embarrassing pictures. Finsta accounts typically feature photos and videos that are unedited, unfiltered and accompanied by long captions that would be considered unacceptable on real instagram. More than anything, these accounts showcase the user’s true personality. I decided to ask college age girls their thoughts on having a Finsta or not, and how it affects their lives. The impact of Finsta was astonishing to me, and proves that it is so much more than a silly trend to many.
When I asked Finsta users why they decided to create their accounts, I received some answers that I was expecting, such as “My friends made them, so I did too,” and “I thought it would be fun.” However, to many avid Finsta users, the platform means much more to them than just being fun. When asked, one user talked about how she has the ability to just be herself. “I love my Finsta,” she said, “because I can post the most random and stupid things without having to worry about prime time, editing or captions. It’s an expressive art, honestly.”
Another user said that she loves it because it makes her feel good about herself, “I made an account because my friend had one that was really funny, and she got a lot of credit. I post because everyone tells me I’m funny, and who doesn’t love to get compliments?”
However, the most overwhelming response I got was that people love to Finsta because they like letting loose and making other people laugh. An avid Finsta user stated, “Sometimes Instagram is just what I want people to think I am. Having a Finsta allows me to be my weird and crazy self, and is a platform for me to make my friends laugh.” This honest connection that Finsta provides makes the Finsta community an inviting and enjoyable community for people to share messages from their true selves.
I also spoke with people who follow Finstas, but do not run an account of their own. There was a consensus amongst non-Finsta users that they felt they weren’t funny enough to sustain an entertaining account. One person said, “I don’t have one because I feel like I don’t have enough funny experiences in my daily life. However, I like following people’s accounts that I am close to because it keeps me updated on their lives and they make me laugh.”
Another Finsta-free interviewee said, “I haven't made one because I would feel weird starting an account when my friends have had them for so long. I love to follow my friends' accounts because they’re hysterical and help me to keep up with them while we’re at different colleges.”
Whether you have a Finsta or not, it’s undeniable that this trend, which has been around for about a year and a half, is here to stay. The ability that it gives girls who are taught to be concerned with their image on social media to let loose and show their true colors has become such an important outlet for many. Although they’re called fake Instagrams, these accounts are anything but fake; they show real life and allow people to expose their true selves.
Happy posting, Finsta users!
