Insta Envy is when you look at someone else's Instagram feed and feel bad about yourself because their life looks perfect. Today I want to talk about this kinda, but more focus on the motives behind making your Instagram look perfect & doing something just so you can Instagram it, and consider the question, is it really wrong?
I'm going to break this topic into two sections: First, I'm going to talk about the phrase 'do it for the gram' and then I'm going to talk about whether or not it's wrong to try and make your life look great on Instagram.
1 | 'Do it For the Gram'
It seems like there's kind of a stigma around the phrase 'do it for the gram'. People say that you shouldn't live your life just because you want to show it off. However, I'm here to argue that it can actually be a good thing; doing something just 'for the gram' is better than not doing it at all. Of course. the same can be said for doing something just because it's blog worthy, but since more people run Instagram's than blogs, I'm just going to focus on the Instagram side of things.
We as humans are all prideful on some level. Some of us are worse about that than others, but we all enjoy getting those comments from people saying they wish we had our style, our talents, or our opportunities for adventures. And I'm not saying it's okay to take pride in these things. Pride is wrong, and all glory for these blessings should be given to God. But pride, in our day and age, is kind of equal to motivation. We want people to say they want our adventures, so we're motivated to go on adventures. We're motivated to take every opportunity we're given and then create more for ourselves. And while I wish we could want to take opportunities just for the experience, most of us would only do it knowing that we'll get a killer insta out of it.
And so I say that as long as we're taking those opportunities and experiencing and enjoying life, the reason for why we're doing it doesn't really matter.
2 | Is it okay to never be 'real' on Instagram?
I've read a lot of articles talking about 'Instagram Envy' and saying we should be 'real' on Instagram. However, I'm not sure I agree. I would always encourage people to not take anything on Instagram too seriously. I think everyone knows by now that no one's life is really as perfect as how they display it to be on Instagram, and that's why I think it's no longer necessary to 'be real'. Instagram is almost like art. People want their lives to look perfect on Instagram, and not necessarily for other people. I think it's because when their life gets hard, and it's the furthest thing from perfect, they can look at their Instagram and almost convince themselves that their lives are perfect, or maybe it makes them feel better about themselves because all of their followers think that their life it perfect. But again, it's a pride thing. They don't want other people to know about their problems, and that almost makes the problems go away.
But then again... Is it wrong to console ourselves with the thought that their life is not perfect? Isn't that a pride thing too? Shouldn't we be happy that they have a great life, and take inspiration from them? I've always thought it's wrong when one girls struggles makes another girl rejoice and feel better about herself. Anyway, that was just a random thought, not taking this post in that direction this time!
I hope you guys enjoyed this post of my thoughts! Now it's your turn! Let's discuss in the comments below your thoughts on this topic.
xx Ash
I'm going to break this topic into two sections: First, I'm going to talk about the phrase 'do it for the gram' and then I'm going to talk about whether or not it's wrong to try and make your life look great on Instagram.
1 | 'Do it For the Gram'
It seems like there's kind of a stigma around the phrase 'do it for the gram'. People say that you shouldn't live your life just because you want to show it off. However, I'm here to argue that it can actually be a good thing; doing something just 'for the gram' is better than not doing it at all. Of course. the same can be said for doing something just because it's blog worthy, but since more people run Instagram's than blogs, I'm just going to focus on the Instagram side of things.
We as humans are all prideful on some level. Some of us are worse about that than others, but we all enjoy getting those comments from people saying they wish we had our style, our talents, or our opportunities for adventures. And I'm not saying it's okay to take pride in these things. Pride is wrong, and all glory for these blessings should be given to God. But pride, in our day and age, is kind of equal to motivation. We want people to say they want our adventures, so we're motivated to go on adventures. We're motivated to take every opportunity we're given and then create more for ourselves. And while I wish we could want to take opportunities just for the experience, most of us would only do it knowing that we'll get a killer insta out of it.
And so I say that as long as we're taking those opportunities and experiencing and enjoying life, the reason for why we're doing it doesn't really matter.
2 | Is it okay to never be 'real' on Instagram?
I've read a lot of articles talking about 'Instagram Envy' and saying we should be 'real' on Instagram. However, I'm not sure I agree. I would always encourage people to not take anything on Instagram too seriously. I think everyone knows by now that no one's life is really as perfect as how they display it to be on Instagram, and that's why I think it's no longer necessary to 'be real'. Instagram is almost like art. People want their lives to look perfect on Instagram, and not necessarily for other people. I think it's because when their life gets hard, and it's the furthest thing from perfect, they can look at their Instagram and almost convince themselves that their lives are perfect, or maybe it makes them feel better about themselves because all of their followers think that their life it perfect. But again, it's a pride thing. They don't want other people to know about their problems, and that almost makes the problems go away.
So I would encourage anyone to try to be humble, and if humility leads to posting 'real' pictures, then good for you. But in the end, it's your Instagram. And if you want to cultivate it to be perfect and treat it like your art form, then that's up to you. But don't be discouraged looking at other people's Instagram, and remember that their life is not as perfect as it seems.
But then again... Is it wrong to console ourselves with the thought that their life is not perfect? Isn't that a pride thing too? Shouldn't we be happy that they have a great life, and take inspiration from them? I've always thought it's wrong when one girls struggles makes another girl rejoice and feel better about herself. Anyway, that was just a random thought, not taking this post in that direction this time!
I hope you guys enjoyed this post of my thoughts! Now it's your turn! Let's discuss in the comments below your thoughts on this topic.
xx Ash
very interesting perspective, ashley!
ReplyDeletei feel like social media is never used to be raw and real anyway. and it's not quite the safest place to be transparent and open.
loved your post!
thanks for sharing <3
Thanks for commenting, Ashley! That's such a good thought!
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