So when we think of Instagram and other social media platforms, we usually think of the act of becoming desirable to others. We oftentimes expect the need to feel desired by people online in a positive fashion.

One thing I have learned from being a late bloomer with Instagram is that sometimes "desirability" can be tough to obtain from followers and the accounts you may follow. There is always some form of critique and even backlash that may happen when someone wants to show their true side and their true hobbies and interests online. The thing with "truth" and "visibility" to other people become interchangeable, but there lies the issue with one having the freedom to be who they want or do what they want on social media, especially a large platform such as Instagram, where one has more options to show themselves through reels, posts, and stories.

I still remember the first time I made an Instagram account. I was only 15 at the time and didn't know a thing about making Instagram posts and I still don't remember until now if Instagram stories existed back then. I was lost, confused, and to be quite honest, even a bit scared. I have heard things about social media like Instagram and how it can take away a lot of one's time and cause extreme addiction and social isolation. I was young at the time, so I might not have thought of it too critically to that extent, but I was still aware of the effects of it.

The scariest part of using a large social media platform like Instagram came to be that once we post something, we are automatically showing a piece of our daily lives to the world. And the definition of "privacy" starts to lose it's intent and power in securing a person's ability to feel comfortable and guarded from invasion into their lives. And it becomes "our" choice of whether we want to keep sharing those bits and pieces or not.

But maybe that can all change in 2021. Maybe we can reduce the feeling of "invasion" within our beloved Instagram handles and feel more like we "own" Instagram, rather than our followers "owning" us. Below are some tips on how to secure your Instagram account from the feeling of "invasion":

-Keep your account private: I can't stress enough how important it is for an Instagram user to keep their account private. Once it is private, it automatically prevents other people online from seeing the posts and stories/highlights, reels, etc. Therefore, there would definitely be less of a feeling of "invasion."

-Minimize certain tags when making your post public: Let's admit it, tags are irreparable. Once someone uses a tag, it is a pass for the "real" public to see their posts and stuff without any hesitation.

-Don't become prey to your followers: There is a fine line between "cautious" and "prey". Someone who is cautious is weary of what they are allowing their followers and other people online to see, but they don't let those people "control" them. Once someone allows their account to be "controlled" by their followers and other viewers, they lose possession of the posts, stories, and reels that they have put online for others to see.

If I had to describe to someone in one word about how to use social media in 2021, I would have to say "ownership". I think the best way to go about using Instagram is for a person to just own what they post, own what they are doing online. The more one tries to hide or conceal, the more difficult it gets to actually enjoy social media, which is one of the functions that it has been created for.