You're already thinking about it; that going out to dinner with your family next Tuesday will be a perfect opportunity to take an Instagram picture. You should wear that pretty mint maxi dress, it brings out your eyes. And you're already thinking about the "reunited and it feels so good" picture you'll take with your best friend 28 days from now when you take a weekend trip home. What stance will you pose in? An action shot of the two of you running towards each other with facial expressions beyond excitement would really prove your unconditional love for one another. But it has to be caught at the perfect timing because you can't redo those moments; or maybe you can considering the laughing picture you just scrolled past on your newsfeed was totally staged. So maybe you'll do a slower run towards each other in order to avoid a blurry picture. You're already thinking about all of the little details; hoping that the lighting is flattering, and that your hair doesn't look frizzy. You'll search through the explore page to get some inspiration for #artsy pictures or unique captions; and you might even go as far as making a list of inside jokes, funny quotes, and relatable song lyrics in your notes app because they will come in handy one day.
You'll take tons of pictures, and your photographers won't mind because you will have to do the same for them in a couple of minutes. Choosing a photographer is a consideration done wisely of course. You will have to trust that person enough to continuously press the button in order to capture all of the #candid moments that "perfectly describes our friendship," right? They'll know the most flattering angles and how to properly focus the camera; this person basically has a degree in iphone photography. When you think you've got the shot, you'll go through your camera roll to narrow down your options and favorite the potentials. You'll delete the picture where a strand of your hair is 1 millimeter further to the left than you'd like it to be, because it completely ruins entire photo, right? What about the picture that clearly shows you forgot to push your shoulders forward to exaggerate your collarbone? Well that will never make it to social media, there's just no question about it. And forget about the shot that is too similar to the one you took 4 weeks ago, you need to keep your profile contemporary for your loyal followers.
After extensive decision making, you have finally picked the photo you believe to have the most potential for a bright future; but there is still some work to be done. You will open the picture in one of your editing apps, which is where you'll sharpen the quality, brighten the background, edit the red-eye, and crop the unwanted. Because one app doesn't seem to have it all, #FirstWorldProblems, you will have to save your edits and re-open the picture in a different app for further improvement. You will slim your face to make your jawline more defined, whiten your teeth to an unnatural fluorescence, and airbrush your uneven skin because the mix of your parents genes blessed you with tons of freckles- how annoying of them! You will take away those ugly dark circles under your eyes that only prove you are a human who sometimes gets tired, lengthen your legs, and "thinify" part of your arm to create a slender and toned appeal because you want to show off that #FitGirlLife. If your face looks a little washed out from the extreme editing of your beautifully natural body, you might add a blush effect to your cheeks and a mascara tool to your eyes in order to give yourself a flawless finish. After the lengthy and tedious process of altering every ounce of truth the picture once held, it is time to finally post the picture right? Think again. If it is not a "prime insta hour," you will hold off uploading the picture in fear that you won't receive your desired amount of likes. A picture that goes unnoticed because you posted it while the world was busy, will slowly but surely get pushed further back only gaining a few likes here and there. Instead, you'll wait for that perfect time at night where most of the world is winding down and relaxing with their phone in hand, ready to like your photo seconds after it is posted.
You'll make some finishing touches with the editing tools on the Instagram app. Maybe you'll saturate the picture to make yourself look tan, or maybe you don't want to use an effect and will instead go for a #NoFilter look. You'll refer back to that long list of witty and creative caption ideas to find the perfect fit for this occasion. When you've built up enough courage, you'll press that scary blue button on the bottom of the page that says "share;" and there you go- your post has gone viral. And you're thinking that maybe this time you'll get the most likes you've ever gotten.
Instagram is designed as a source of instantaneity; for users to share their lives and everyday encounters with the world, both near and far. It is a community designed to inspire, trigger imagination, explore unfamiliarity, spark interests, and as an avenue for users to discover places, people and things that they have yet to notice. The series of pictures and videos each user shares on his or her account will overtime represent a collection of memories. A user's page will tell the personal story of the adventures and journeys he or she has embarked on, the places they have traveled, and the people they love; limitless possibilities come with sharing your photo with the world. And some have done just that; users have stepped out from the shadows that once hovered over them by simply sharing what they had to offer with the public. Instagram has ultimately enabled some of the world's most influential people to become unearthed.
Contrary to this, social media has become a breeding ground of over-editing and over-analyzing amongst young generations. Lacking self-worth seems to be a boundless trend. We strive to be beautiful, funny, and loved; to have perfect skin, thigh gaps, and popularity. But who could blame the average teen for wanting what the most successful people surrounding us have? Porcelain skin, mile-long eyelashes, and thick hair. And for that, we "correct" every detail about ourselves in hopes of achieving acceptance from the outside world. We edit, alter, and fix. We see editing tools called "beautify" which only infer that with the click of a button, your picture can be improved, and made beautiful. We dehumanize. Realistically speaking, the only thing that needs correction is the ability of accepting one's self, something that seems nearly impossible as the need of fitting in is dramatized, and comparing the self to other individuals continues to rise. Life has become a pyramid where climbing to the top is the main priority; looking up at one is much more rewarding than being looked down upon. We compete for the highest paid jobs, for acceptance letters to the top schools of the country, and practically everything in this world. And now, we compete to be beautiful. I have to assume that this phenomenon of insecurity stems from society's skewed definition of beauty and our deprivation of proving our worth to others.
During the stage of adolescents we long for adulthood; the day in which the rules we have lived by according to our guardians are lifted. Yet ironically enough, we habitually sabotage other aspects of our lives by subconsciously applying nonsensical rules. The contemporary generation has developed tacit understandings for the usage of an app; guidelines that are not included within the rules and regulations of Instagram, but are rather universally understood by its users. Instagram's basic terms and conditions describe simple protocols that prohibit users from posting violent, nude, or discriminatory content; harassing, stalking, bullying, and additional illegal activity. Though, teens restrict themselves even further by creating an illusion of "rules" to follow; defying these rules may impact one's social standards. We hold ourselves back before posting a picture that we love because it isn't "insta-worthy." We don't post more than one or two pictures in a single day because we don't want to come across as annoying to those who view our posts. We try not to post pictures that are cliché, or ones that are risky because the responses you receive may have a severe impact on your social status. We can't repeat captions or like someone's picture from weeks ago. The number of people you follow should not greatly exceed the number of people that follow you; it's all about the ratio. The list goes on. These rules are our religion; social media is without a doubt, a microcosm of society.
We all do it; I am guilty of it myself. Guilty of using social media enough to surpass my data limit several times in a month. And if we're being fair, I appreciate my physical appearance more when my skin is tanned and I have makeup on; so if I can edit my picture in order to fulfill a personal preference, well, the ability is certainly tempting. But when the average picture provides evidence for the rise of a materialistic, confidence lacking, and impression seeking generation of society, that's when I really question what it's all worth in the long run. We put up facades simply because our actual self does not cut it in the real world. But to who? Who needs to give us the stamp of approval in order for us to feel important? Is it the popular group of girls we long to be friends with? The famous model we strive to look like? To the 2K+ people who follow our accounts? The friends that we certainly should not have to impress? Or is it ourselves? Take a look around. The amount of likes you get on a picture will not make you a better person or more beautiful than you already are.
So the next time you don't get as many comments on Facebook as you hoped you would; as many favorites or retweets on Twitter that you usually get; and if you don't break your record for the amount of likes received on your Instagram picture, so be it. Your confidence regarding a picture should not be altered by a number of likes, or lack of for that matter. For the next time you take a picture, whatever it may be of: as long as it is a true representation, the amount of applause you deserve is not an existing number; authenticity is astronomically appreciated.
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