Ah, Instagram. It is a place filled with colors, graphics, pictures of friends and images of strangers. Instagram is a platform that has the potential to lead someone down a positive path of little red hearts or a deep, dark rabbit hole of self-pity. The fact that the possibilities of Instagram are endless is what really hooked me in the first place. When I originally came across the app, I was in seventh grade, and I vividly remember being one of the first of my friends to create an account.

Additionally, I recall shooting pictures of random objects (flowers, coca cola bottles) and overdoing it with the Nashville filter. Back then, Instagram was just a mode of sharing one’s personal photos with friends, family, and strangers. Fast forward to 2017 and it serves as a platform for businesses, national campaigns, activists, and social and political agendas. Though at first glance this app may seem trivial, it has developed into one of the most powerful tools of our modern society.

This is why I love Instagram, but I also hate it. The app itself allows me to connect with people that I don’t necessarily get to see every day, keep tabs on their lives, and let them follow (figuratively and literally) my every over filtered snap. Despite the good that comes along with jumping on the Instagram train, there is a lot of harm that can transpire through it as well.

I sometimes find myself on the popular page (or what used to be the popular page, and has now been replaced with an algorithm that shows me every mutual friend I have ever had in my entire life), and I get upset or annoyed. I see pictures of people sitting on beaches sipping on fruity drinks, enjoying luxe ski vacations, or even enjoying time with their loved ones. Even these simple photos that are merely intended to showcase one’s good times often lead others to envy.

I know it is dumb to analyze every perfect photo that I stumble upon, and that further examination into someone’s seemingly perfect profile is only proof of how imperfect people really are, but sometimes it feels good in the moment. Though Instagram has launched into the perfect platform for serious issues, at times I do wish it was socially acceptable to post #artsy photos of Coca-Cola bottles again.