Hello everyone! In this
post I would like to share my point of view on this topic and hope you will be
able to look at this issue from a different perspective.
Instagram influences people in many ways. Even though it is supposed to be a positive platform for people to express their feelings and thoughts through photos or Instagram stories, I think it carries a negative stigma, too.
Some people feel as if they need to show the
entire world how perfect their life is. Their photos are edited by using
various filters, they put inspirational quotes as captions and sometimes they
even photoshop themselves in order to look better. When you meet them in
person, you are able to tell the difference between the pictures they post and
their actual appearance. Girls and women are easily influenced by appearance of
other women who have perfect skin, good curves, flat stomach and a pretty
smile. This can lead to ruining self-esteem and often creates feelings of
anxiety and depression. Moreover, Instagram decreases sleep quality, can
promote online bullying or fear of missing out on something (MacMillan, 2017). The
truth is that everyone has issues; we all have to deal with some difficult
things in our lives. Whether it is family, relationships, friendships or
career, sometimes things do not go as we wish or plan it. That is why I do not
understand why some people try so hard to make it seem as if their life was like
a fairytale without any imperfections. It is normal to mess up and it is normal
to not fit the set standards. Interestingly enough, the majority of famous or
ordinary Instagram users force other people, who are afraid to be different
that anyone else, post edited and organized posts. This means that we also
influence each other. Furthermore, there are celebrities or well-known
personalities on social media who are considered as role models. When children,
teenagers and young adults see their posts, appearance or the way they dress,
they want to copy them. By doing so, they lose their own unique personality and
look.
Another issue is that
some people are so addicted to using Instagram that they start to stalk other
people. They want to know everything; when certain people post something, what
kind of pictures they like or comment. For instance, this can lead to severe
consequences in relationships. Both boys and girls stalk their partner’s
profile and try to find ‘evidence’ for accusing them of liking other girls/boys
pictures or in some serious cases even cheating. This is the reason why
irrational and childish arguments happen in relationships (Le, 2018).
Privacy is another issue
that can have harmful consequences. Many people believe strangers easily and
share their personal information and pictures with them without thinking
rationally. Privacy is something that we should control to ensure that nothing
negative happens to us.
I personally use
Instagram daily and I do enjoy using it. However, when I was younger, I
sometimes felt envy when I saw some ‘perfect’ posts and wondered why other
people look so good in almost every situation. As I was growing up, I found out
that it does not reflect the actual reality and that not everything is as
pictured in the posts. I learned that even those people have struggles and
portray themselves in a perfect way because they want to hide their issues.
To conclude, Instagram
has both positive and negative sides. It depends on how much time you spend
using it, what kind of people you follow and whether you let it get to you
completely. If you realize that it is just an application for posting pictures
and sharing them with friends and family, it can bring enjoyment into your
life. We all should consider how important this social media is for us and
whether we want to live in the Instagram world or enjoy our lives offline.
References:
Le, V. (2018). Why You
Should Delete Your Instagram. Retrieved from https://studybreaks.com/culture/instagram-addiction/
MacMillan, A.
(2017). Why Instagram Is the Worst Social Media for Mental Health.
[online] Time. Available at:
http://time.com/4793331/instagram-social-media-mental-health/ [Accessed 8 Dec.
2018].
I like that you talked about both the good and bad side of history.its true people tend to forget that this is just a technology tool to spice up our life especially social life and connect with people and it definitely doesn't define who we are.its time we realise that Instagram is just instant gram from its name.a media used for capturing instant fun and memorable moment to share with friends who can't be there physically to share it with us.i am more enlightened from this topic!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely the topic which I was interested in, it was enjoyable! As a user of Instagram, I’m absolutely agree with your conclusion and MacMillan’s words about decreasing sleep quality, online bullying and missing outs.
ReplyDelete