Dear Instagram,
It’s been a few days since I deleted you off of my phone, and I have been doing a lot of thinking since then about our relationship, your relationship with others, and what exactly you are. Maybe I should back up a bit and talk about the story of us.
I don’t remember when you came in to my life, but it didn’t take long before I was hooked. You were, at first, a form of self-expression, but somewhere along the road and 1,096 posts later, you are no longer that, rather you have become a form of validation. How did this happen, and why is it that I along with so many other people feel amazing when someone tells us we look great in a photo that is barely us after all of the editing? Why is it that we find it necessary to always have a cleaver caption? Why do we feel special immediately after we get the notification that a friend has tagged us in a photo?
Amidst all of the #WCW and #MCM, somewhere between all of the #SelfieSundays and #ThrowbackThursdays, did we lose a sense of what really matters? Did we lose a sense of what a true act of kindness is, or what a real compliment is? Do we place more value on making sure everyone knows about the fun times we are having than on the actual moments themselves? Unfortunately, I would say yes we do, but is it your fault, Instagram? That is what I have been trying to figure out.
Like I said, I deleted you a few days ago, and it has been a little strange. Not having you around has made me really think about if not having you is the best way to live a life full of value placed on the things that really matter, and this is what I have come up with. I think that I can have you in my life, as long as I take you with “a grain of salt.” I think the real issue stems with us as humans wanting people to see us as literally perfect, and you as a social media platform are often made the scapegoat when we become too absorbed in this "perfect" virtual reality. I truly believe that it is possible to live a life of fulfillment away from the screen, but still document those precious memories behind the screen.
It is not easy to do this, it takes constant reminders that what you see on social media is what people want you to see, and what you post on social media is what you want people to see. It is important to remember that the imperfections that are not shown on social media are what make us beautiful and unique. It is important that we do not waste time that could be spent on things that would make us better people, by creating a false image of ourselves, and it is important to compliment each other and perform acts of kindness in real life, not just with our key board.
If you did not exist, would we stop worrying about appearing to be perfect and flawless? If you did not exist would we live more “in the moment?” If you did not exist would this world be a better place? No. If you did not exist we would find another way to appear perfect. We would find something else that prevents us from living “in the moment,” and that is not because we want to live in a world hidden behind a screen. We do not try to do any of these things that you are criticized for causing, and you were not created to make this world a bad place. These are all results of us trying to have a good time, of us trying to document the precious moments that we have. They are the results of being human.
I am not sure that there is a perfect solution, but here is what I am going to be doing from now on. I will take you with "a grain of salt" and try not to waste time appearing to be perfect. I will not stress out about finding the perfect caption, and I will try to use you to showcase who I really am, which is perfectly imperfect. As with every other aspect of my life, I am sure I will get wrapped up with things that really shouldn't matter to me, but instead of continuing with that unhealthy obsession, I will constantly try to correct myself and aim for realistic goals.
I am not going to ask you to change because you are just a social media platform. Instead I will change the way I use you because I am human, and making changes can sometimes be the best thing we as humans do. I hope people start to realize that it is not about what we are given, rather it is about how we use what has been placed in our lives. See you soon, Instagram.
Sincerely,
Your new and improved user
