Research - Caroline Edwards: Instagram, A False Sense Of Reality

Instagram: A False Sense Of Reality

If you know me, you know I love social media. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat…you name it and I probably have it. Out of all of these platforms, I probably love Instagram the most. I love seeing artsy lattes on my feed, no matter how basic they are, or perfectly decorated desks and #ootd(s). I love all of that. I love when people’s accounts have themes where they're mostly minimalist or use the same filter for each post.

What I don’t love is how no one of it is real. Who’s really drinking a cup of coffee on white-pressed linens reading a magazine on a Sunday morning while wearing speckled socks? Not many people. Instead we are lounging in bed, propped up with our computers, phones and tablets wishing that our lives looked like that Instagram picture. But it’s not real. It’s not candid. It’s perfectly arranged to please the eye for someone’s finger to double-tap their phone screen and like the photo.

Do you really think I slept in this onsie and then spontaneously ran outside into the snow?

When I woke up and saw the snow I didn’t think to myself “I’m going to go run and play in the snow!” I saw it as an opportunity. I put on makeup and my onsie, brushed my hair, and put on boots. I had my mom take over a hundred pictures of me prancing around in the snow

If you’re at Disneyland, you’re going to brag about it with a cute ‘gram. I went on the Teacups and didn’t really enjoy the ride because I was too busy posing for pictures. I did a fake giggle, smiled, and had a dozen pictures to show for it. Of course I was having fun at Disney, but this was posed for the sake of a picture.