Instagram is arguably one of the most popular social media platforms and rightly so. We get to share our filtered photos and connect with others. We can follow the picture perfect lives of strangers that don’t know we exist until we feel bad about ourselves for the rest of the afternoon because our daily lives are so different from theirs.
I realised I had a problem when one Sunday afternoon, my iPhone Screen Time alert notified me I had spent an average of 7 hours on Instagram a day, just scrolling.
I am possibly the worst when it comes to comparing myself to others on Instagram, and I’m confident that I’m not alone in this. I compare every aspect of my life to the typical, ‘insta-famous’ model’s account. It’s quite obsessive. Where is everyone eating, partying, holidaying, shopping these days? Look no further than your local insta-famous blogger to help you out. This need to keep up with the social trends is a paralysing one, yet we all fall victim to the insta lust.
Why does our generation of fabulous girls (and boys) feel the need to compare themselves to these highly-mediated celebrities?
As much as I recognise that who I follow on Instagram is my own choice, I cannot help but chose to swoon over the travel bloggers and fitness girls and wish my life was more like theirs. Looking at such accounts on the daily can make you feel like wearing sweatpants at your 9 to 5 just isn’t cutting it anymore.
Comparing yourself 24/7 can also be really damaging to your mental health. There’s no need to put yourself down all the time, Instagram will do it for you. When you’re constantly bombarded with seeing beautiful people on holiday with their perfectly chiselled bodies and shiny hair, it’s difficult to resist pitting yourself against them. Suddenly you don’t feel good enough, you don’t feel pretty enough and you don’t feel accomplished enough. All because a ‘fit girl’ has been endorsed by a laxative tea company to post a picture in the Bahamas. It’s an edited life, and one that isn’t sustainable or even healthy for most of us.
I decided to take back control by logging off Instagram during the week so I can focus on my studies, and only logging on at the weekend to share and like pictures of my friends. No more envy over what doesn’t actually exist.
There’s nothing wrong about dreaming of holidaying in exotic locations and it can even be useful when fitness bloggers give you ‘gymspo’ and motivate you to get active and make healthy changes in your lifestyle. But for the most part, Instagram is a dreamland of filters and fillers and the reality is that we’re all perfectly fine the way we are.
