Since 2010, the groundbreaking photo sharing app Instagram has grown to over 300 million users. Along with 300 million users comes 300 million different ideas, cultures, and personalities that are breathing life into Instagram. It's no surprise that as the years have progressed, so has the Instagram lingo. Almost every Instagram user knows about hashtags, feeds, DMs, and filters. Yet one word that has grown considerably in the last few years is the word "instafamous."
If you're thinking that there is no way that this is actually a word, you are absolutely right. This word can not be found in your average Merriam-Webster Dictionary, but this word has been created and used on a daily basis by a majority of Instagram users, magazines, and even TV personalities. In fact, I took a trip to the dark and dirty underbelly of the Internet to a place called Urban Dictionary to see if I could get a better understanding of what exactly it means to be instafamous. Urban Dictionary describes someone who is instafamous as, "A person who's famous on the popular app Instagram because they have thousands of followers. This person is usually a pretty girl who posts a thousand pictures of her face or whatever food she's eating. This may also include pictures of other people's food." Well, there you have it, Internet. Someone who is instafamous is someone who has thousands of followers, posts a ton of selfies (another popular word on Instagram), and often times gets a lot of unnecessary recognition.There are even articles and YouTube videos out there that aim to help you become instafamous!
Instafamous individuals can range from celebrities like Miley Cyrus (36.8 million followers) and Justin Bieber (57.4 million) to YouTubers like PewDiePie (7.4 million) and Jenna Marbles (3.7 million). After a certain amount of followers, many Instagram users may even get paid for their posts. If an Instagram user displays a specific product in one of their popular pictures, they could get paid for it by that product's company. Yet, not all Instagram famous individuals are celebrities, and not all get paid for what they post. There are many Instagram users who are photographers, artists, athletes, and individuals from all around the world who create beautiful work and display it for the world to see.
It's very easy to get caught up in the numbers and the "instafame," especially when it's constantly displayed in front of us. Yet as a completely fame-less Instagram user, I want to take a stand and say that I am OK with not being instafamous for three specific reasons.
First, I don't consider myself a fantastic photographer or social media user for that matter. Yet Instagram has always been a means to share my life with my loved ones. This may also be true for those who are considered instafamous, but I don't let those who see my posts determine what I post. My Instagram account is a collection of memories and experiences that I want to remember that are unique to me personally. I see Instagram more as a means to share my life with those around me rather than to please those around me.
Second, I wouldn't want to advertise products for money. I don't want my social media account to become a money making business. I don't want to make money off of my personal life. We've seen it happen numerous times. The person we may be following is someone who is considered instafamous, and it isn't long before they post selfies with a specific diet supplement, or waist trainer, advertising how much it's "helping" them. Behind the picture is a sad reality that they are receiving an income from each one of the pictures they post with those products. I think that this one also ties into my first point. I don't post my pictures for others, and I certainly wouldn't want to for money.
Finally, in a world where everyone wants attention, I'm OK with not drawing attention to myself. Whether some of the instafamous users are asking for it or not, I'm not OK with being in the public eye. When posts and pictures are displayed for the world to see, judgement and criticism follows. Expectations may also arise, and I don't want to feel limited or pressured by others on my Instagram.
In a world full of "instafame," I simply want to be me, and that is exactly who I am going to be.
