Finsta.

Fake + Instagram = Finsta

When I first heard this term, I thought it was the dumbest idea I had ever come across. Why would someone create a fake Instagram account? What’s the point? Why would anyone ever waste their time in following such a page? But after following various finstas in order to be educated on this new phenomenon and after making one of my own, I have come to be a huge believer in this social media fad.

A finsta is an account where anything (and by anything I mean anything - from a picture of the sky to a blurry, over-filtered picture of a Coke can) can be posted with a caption that is uncomfortably honest. All the cool, hip and happening grammers use this account to post what they really want to put on social media, but can’t on their real accounts. If you didn’t know, Instagram is a cut-throat game one has to be discreetly skilled in playing. You have to know the best time of day to post (when everyone will be on their phones), the right filter (VSCO anyone??), and the clever caption that hasn’t been used by anybody else in the entire social media world. All of this in an attempt to rack in the most “likes” possible. Because, naturally, the number of likes you get on a picture determines your popularity status and general worth as a person.

So, in an effort to be one’s true and authentic self on social media finsta was created so you can be your real self while still staying fake on your regular account where more people look at your carefully posed and edited picture that only depicts the wonderful moments happening in your life. While your regular Instagram aesthetic is a grid of those fun, unforgettable mountain top experiences, your finsta aesthetic can be a grid of vulnerability about the emotional stresses of every day life. The best of both worlds!

So go for it! Take the risk! Devote a whole other account to authenticity and transparency! It feels awkward at first, but don’t worry because you will always have your rinsta (real Instagram) to fall back on – full of fake smiles and cheesy captions!