Like millions of other people, I am obsessed with Instagram. To me, it is a platform to express myself and what I consider my art. This could be a range of photos from my trip to Coney Island to a picture of the book I am currently reading. I enjoy scrolling through my feed and looking at the glamorous and not-so-glamorous lives of the people I follow, and I often wonder how people can live the lifestyles they appear to live on Instagram. My life could even be considered glamorous and “cool” because I live in New York City and I eat overpriced organic food and photograph beautiful street art and ride the highly poetic subway every morning…yet there is a disconnect from the real, actual life I’m living.
What we need to remember is that social media is highly curated, people take hundreds of photos a day and meticulously pick which ones make it to their feeds, blogs and profile pages. Think of your camera roll and the 40 selfies you have from slightly different angles…or the "candid" pictures of you walking down the street in a cute outfit with resting bitch face you forced your boo to take. I am guilty, as well; our culture promotes perfection and hand crafting our identities to appeal to a broad audience. People are watching us, they are interested or at least feigning interest in our lives.
Not gonna lie, we all like attention. There is nothing wrong with that. Some Instagram bloggers have thousands upon thousands of followers and companies reach out to them to promote their products and in turn they capitalize on the attention they get from people like you and me. This is genius, and something that can only happen in this era of social media. I often wonder about these bloggers, and how much of their daily lives are spent trying to capture the perfect Insta pic of their picnic at the park, complete with checkered blanket, cacti in a terracotta pot, wine in stackable glass cups (a promo for some company) and vintage basket that resembles Dorothy’s in the Wizard of Oz that they paid a hundred bucks for at Brooklyn Flea. I’m not sure I would delay digging into my food at a fancy restaurant so my friend could arrange the table and take a picture because it’s their “aesthetic.” Then again, I am not making money off of it so I’m bitter and who knows.
My question is, are people sacrificing their authentic identities to appeal to other people? Is there a loss of self that accompanies the likes and comments we so desperately long for? It is easy to start living for other people and plotting your next post, not necessarily to become famous like the paid Instagram bloggers, but simply for the validation from our friends and people we once knew who we are secretly glad follow us on social media. There is pleasure and a sense of achievement that comes from the "look at me now suckers" posts that you probably spent a little too much energy creating, but if you consider that your art, go for it.
Pull back if you feel yourself slipping into the abyss of the opinions of others, live for yourself and only yourself. Feed off of the attention but don't let it consume you, don't lose your authentic self over something so petty and fleeting. Appearing effortlessly interesting on Instagram can really distract from the struggles we all face in life, and we all crave validation and support from others, but my advice is to stay true to your art and never lose sight of your personal worth and living your life for yourself. The opinions of others are not nearly as important as your opinion of yourself, and identity is a struggle between what the outside world imposes upon you versus how you view yourself. Find a balance between the two, challenge it, question it and make it your art.
