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USER(S)
Does your Instagram feel genuine to who you are, to how you see yourself?

It’s hard to connect who i am and who i want to be to other people

I just post to prove I exist

I try to make it more genuine as i get older

I archived a lot of my posts but they were reflective of who I was at that time.

75% because it’s the best side of what I do, even if it’s a random “photo dump”

I don’t post on it often so I doesn’t show much about who I am.

Maybe in a more fun version of me

sometimes I get confused between whether I am portraying my authentic self on instagram or if I am portraying my instagram self in real life

because creating posts requires some level of intention I think that it will never feel completely genuine. There are certain components of a human being that cannot be encapsulated in the format that Instagram provides. So for being a highly manipulated interpretation of my person, I think it reflects a narrow picture of who I actually am.
i think i use it in an attempt to gain some control about what people think of me, and to potentially experiment with my own image
Relatively speaking yes, but I also feel like I’m influenced by other people’s content.

I try to make it sincere! I love connecting with people and it’s always hard to navigate the self-awareness of being online and the way it honestly uses fragments of a personality to build an online persona.

I’d say it does feel genuine to who I am and what I like, but there definitely still is some level of “planning/curating” that image.

in the moment it does but now looking at it not really
i don’t think instagram can ever encapsulate one’s genuine self

I think it’s genuine to who I am BUT AT THE SAME TIME because I have control over what others see, it inherently feels like an aspirational version of myself/what I want others to see.

Do you enjoy being active on Instagram? What does it mean to you to have a digital presence?

to be known in the digital world

yes and no. feels restrictive and not consistent

It feels stressful if anything. With having to show and keep parts of yourself on and off the internet, to have a digital presence also means to have to sit with and know who you are.

when i was active daily though, it felt like a chore and that i was only liking people’s posts because i had to because im friends or acquainted with them. having a digital presence means very little to me. id rather be with my friends and loved ones in person :D

it allows me to stay up to date with friends even though we might not necessarily be able to hang out

I go through waves of enjoying the app and hating it

if i think too hard about it, i don’t enjoy it. i don’t enjoy the fakeness. i turned comments off when comments felt like a currency for friendship. leaving a comment is suddenly all you have to do to be my “friend?” nah. i don’t like how it has made us more digitally plastic. being my friend means being there for me, not leaving a comment about me being a baddie. the social conformity and validation also makes me nervous + anxious for future generations. the 13 year old girls that somehow look like they’re 18, girls trying to look grown and sexual when they’re SUPPOSED to look awkward and have braces and be CHILDREN. i enjoy seeing what my friends are up to, and i feel like i’m missing out on huge parts of my friends’ lives if i’m not active and seeing everything they post, but how sad is it that we must be sucked into this platform instead of communicating and asking our friends how they’re doing? that all makes me kind of fearful and anxious. one thing i pride myself in is how i got instagram relatively “late” compared to my peers, because i know my younger, more malleable, more formative mind would be hurt even more so, and i worry about children (especially girls) nowadays. but i only post intentionally (or at least i try to). when things make me really FEEL, i will share it or post it. i double check and question why i post things, if i’m trying to give a certain impression of myself digitally, if i’m trying to appeal and appease certain audiences that aren’t myself. so i kind of am active on instagram out of necessity. i only watch my friends’ stories—i simply find no enjoyment or meaning in watching people’s i hardly know. i scroll for a bit, and once my friends’ posts are gone then i stop scrolling. i think i’ve become a minimal user out of sheer necessity. :P

I enjoy putting together posts and approaching instagram with an advertising/marketing like mentality... but not so much so that I drive myself crazy. I enjoy having a digital presence because, as an artist, it is fun for me to curate posts and feels like a creative outlet, I also just love pop culture and love using my digital presence to further connect with that world

I enjoy it ish- posting and keeping up with friends is fun, but there is an isolating aspect of being online when you aren’t interacting with content, just consuming it

sometimes i get overwhelmed by the amount of time i dedicate to this app

I realize having a digital presence has been such a huge part of how I socialize, how I see the world, how I present myself, and the social “currency” I may have. However, I really like being creative and silly on Instagram and my interactions on there have been truly additive to existing IRL friendships or helped me make new connections. It’s a nice digital diary to see how I’ve changed in how I like to be perceived, and accountability for Certain things.

I hate instagram a lot. If I wasn’t an artist I wouldn’t have it. Ironic bc I don’t even post my work yet. But it’s kind of necessary if you want to be an artist these days. Otherwise how do you get the word out about your art (if that’s what you want)

I enjoy actively posting and commenting or responding to people and their work very much, or digesting theory/music/poetry/visuals. I do not enjoy the feeling of being caught in the reels forever, especially when I know I am using it to avoid something else.

I enjoy viewing and interacting with others’ content but I myself do not wish to share/publicize most parts of my life. I believe having a digital presence represents a modernization of creating, maintaining and sharing a public perception of yourself, which varies among everyone according to how authentic or curated the posts are.

I don’t really enjoy being active, but I feel like a digital presence is needed to stay relevant/on top of things in certain circles

i like posting more on my other account than my main just cause it’s more random and personal while my main feels sort out of touch and “professional” i think for me digital presence is creating an online persona, you literally could be anybody online

I enjoy being active on Instagram although it could get toxic when comparing yourself to others, overall, having a digital presence gives me a sense of order and control.

Overall I think I don’t actually enjoy it. I think for me it serves as a personal archive to look back on, but I focus a lot of energy on trying not to associate interaction numbers as a signifier of my value as a human being. To me having a digital presence is like a guilty habit I want to wean off of.

Sometimes yes but most times no, i enjoy the humor side of the internet. I like documenting, so having a digital presence is almost like building my legacy.

Sometimes, fomo effect. Draining other times. I like to post and run 🤣

Somewhat! Connects me with my friends- sometimes I can’t help but follow people I dont know but admire but then that can lead to insecurities.

I hate being active on Instagram. Maybe it’s because I don’t do it often? But when I post it feels like I’m sharing a private part of my life with strangers (more like acquaintances because my account is private). If I could, I think I would delete it, but i know that many people like to look at peoples instagrams to get a sense of who they are; many clubs post their updates on meetings; friends post life updates and I do enjoy seeing them.
Do you enjoy posting on Instagram? Why?

Yes- I love seeing my favorite pictures all in one place or remember how I felt when I made the post

sometimes, if it’s for the right reasons. i think deep down everyone can separate if they’re posting for the validation of others’ vs for themselves. when i post things i’m proud of, like sharing something from my culture and background, sharing something about my family, i enjoy it because it means a lot to me. otherwise, i am not a frequent poster.

I get anxious about it because there’s an immediate sort of response that comes alongside it

yes - it’s so fun to get my silly thoughts out there

Yes I love it bc I’m a little neurotic and

yes, i enjoy picking which pictures to post, figuring out the best order of pictures within the post, coming up with a caption that matches my own "brand"

No 😂 probably because I don’t do it often so it feels like a whole thing, but I always feel like I’m sharing things that I think are cute/make me look cute, and I sometimes worry people will see the post and thing why did she post that? Also, the idea that what you put online is out there forever gets to me. I don’t want to post something that I will regret later.

I definitely enjoy posting more authentic pictures on a smaller account because it feels like a scrapbook/diary I can look back at rather than a curated and glorified version of myself.

Yes because I like sharing and curating but sometimes it can be stressful or I get in my own head about how something might be interpreted. Kind of a control thing…

I don’t love it. I never remember to.

yea, i enjoy sharing with my friends and family (and fans) what i’ve been up to

I dont enjoy being super active on instagram because I dont like being perceived/judged by others to that extent.

Yes, the serotonin of people’s comments feed my words of affirmation love language.

Not really, I’d rather let my friends and connections learn about me in person rather than taking a glance at my posts and making assumptions through that.

There is an initial serotonin boost and I think once that wears off there is a feeling that makes you want it again. It’s semi addictive, and upon reflection I’ve realized that this is kind of a compulsion that is not very enjoyable for me personally.

I’ve learned to be more free about what i want to post

not necessarily, i dont really care to be honest

I’ve learned to be more free about what i want to post

yes cause i like seeing a cohesive feed tbh

Not as much, I like to post and turn off notifications

Can someone make an accurate assumption about a person based off of their Instagram?

No

Lowkey yeah

I don't think so, There's so much thought and planning that goes into a post that you never know what is real and what people's daily lives are like in reality.

Naur!

They can probably make an assumption, but it’s definitely hard to make an authentic one because you’re not really getting the full picture but rather just the highlights aka the surface level stuff of a person.

Yeah I think that is very possible

I think so, but it’s a balance between the observer’s awareness of their own biases and experience, with the instagramer’s awareness, honesty, and willingness to post.

On a superficial yes, but probably on a level of understanding that person and their motivations/values I think no.

maybe? i like to read people anyways but people are usually predictable so maybe

I think you can make assumptions on how much they care about their public persona

def NOT!

Not directly, but you can understand a bit if you read between the lines

for sure, some people are really good at expressing their true persona online

yes….unfortunately. for example, men’s instagrams are sooooo easy to judge sometimes. u can tell when a man is a ho lol.

You definitely CAN, but at the end of the day an assumption is an ASSUMPTION!!!

no. I’ve always thought this. Ppl curate and leave out what they think is the toughest (most vulnerable and ugly) part of themselves

Nope it’s 00.00000773838 of one’s life


Has your relationship with Instagram changed over time?

It fluctuates how much I care about curating my image

nahhh

Definitely become a larger part of my life within the past few years, for better or for worse. I find myself spending a lot of time on it - talking to folks, browsing reels, watching stories etc.

Yes! I don’t feel any need to know numbers or the need for others to know what I’m doing anymore. IG has become more of a thinkspace and place to learn about what the people I care about are doing.

i have grown to enjoy it more in the last year especially after posting the things i want and not caring what others think of what i am putting out there

I think I see it more as a way to learn about/from others now. When I was younger I definitely saw it as purely a social tool.

Yes, Im more dependent on it

I used to feel a greater sense of attachment towards it. What it meant to get a certain amount of like or to have a certain amount of followers. Then I think as I got older there was no true value to being concerned over it and realized the personal toll it took on me. I definitely think the amount of time I spent on the app decreased as I got older, exponentially.

I will take pictures with instagram in mind

Nah, I’ve seen this happen with Youtube so I didn’t surprise me when it happened to Instagram.

Yes! I used to never post on my Instagram because I was insecure, but later I overcame it because so many things were happening in my life during senior year that I felt like it would be a waste if I didn't post something.

Definitely

i think ive gotten more comfortable using instagram as fun platform rather than curating a perfect feed

Yes, i believe i have come to think less about what I post.

yes and no

Yeah I don’t think I love it as much/think it’s as necessary

I got more addicted to it after they included ig reels.

Gotten worse as I’ve gotten older

I find that whenever I think more about making instagram posts, I'm seeking attention to fix something in an unhealthy and unsustainable way. Like posting for my self image is unhealth and totally different than posting to document memories or express creative ideas, which I think is healthy.

I love it more but also idk.

Yes! Biggest shift was 2017-2018 when I was running the social media for my high school and people got mad at me for not posting their shit lol. I realized that this platform was becoming more and more of a place to do business but no one had figured out the boundaries and risks of the platform or was even going to enforce them. Even on a small scale like at a high school I was active on there like 8 hours a day, making posts, posting stories, responding to DMs.

I wasn’t on it until 2012/13 I think, so it’s been like 10 years wow. I definitely used it sooooo much in high school and beginning of college especially bc I was an organizer/youth leader in my community, and I want people to have access to information. But I’ve moved away from that because there is not always critical thinking happening online, and I’ve also learned I don’t need to be everyone’s resource to be helpful and community oriented. I work to be much more mindful and think actively of how I am utilizing insta nowadays

More for documenting my life now, it was more about getting likes and engagement before

I used to just use it to stay up to date with friends and celebrities, as I have taken my art more serious I have started to use it to seek inspiration and promote my work







Do you find inspiration on Instagram?

especially for design

when it come to lifestyle and goals that i could possibly reach

what to write ..in others comments section

almost solely in regards to style

No

the platform can bring a wide range of ideas and spark creativity to anyone since the app can caters to your likingsIt’s nice to follow artists I look up to

mostly things like places to eat or visit

Yessssss always!! So many innovative artists or curators sharing cool/sad/striking stuff from around the world.

for nails and hair color

sometimes, but not really. sometimes i go down a rabbit hole and end up on some celebrities/influencers’ pages, and then i feel really out of body and dystopian. it’s nice to find things to do like festivals or markets happening nearby, but i wouldn’t say it’s inspiration.

Yes lots!! I love seeing what aesthetics and language I resonate with

Yes. Especially those basketball clips

I think due to the algorithm, I see a lot of content that surround things that I am interested in at the moment. Ex: I will see keyboard videos when I'm trying to decide what switches to buy or I will see nail art when I want to make my next set.

For artists, is it important for you to use Instagram to share your work, get yourself out there, find opportunities, make connections, discover other artists, etc.

Yes, i think it’s a great way to grow your audience, if done properly.

I think it is. As a reporter and as an artists it’s infinitely helpful when people post their work publicly on Instagram and make themselves a little easier to find. But I really respect people who arent online for whatever reason.

D:

It’s one aspect but i don’t think it should be the primary resource and tool. Building community in person and being part of a “scene” in lived everyday life is way more fulfilling in my opinion

I mainly use my art instagram for my own pleasure and find it satisfying to share pieces I'm proud of. I'm sure that will change to a more professional and serious vibe when I get older and more into my career.

I dont think I find it very important now but definitely see the value in putting myself online. It is another platform I can use to gain support from others/share things I'm passionate about.

Lowkey no? A lot of voice majors have professional accounts and that’s just not me tbh. I feel like in person interactions are way better to get your name out there. Also no one really cares about your singing videos.

yes, but not necessary

100% the main reason I stay on, but not the reason I got it initially (to be social and keep up w people)

I wish it wasn’t but it is important. For example, a few publicists/artists/artist managers follow me and have pitched me through IG DMs, and I wouldn’t have gotten those opps if not for having an active curated IG presence. Follows do count as credibility in today’s society which is so interesting. I’ve also made connections through cold DMing people and getting their insights on career and life path.

Yes, it’s basically expected

How have you seen Instagram change over the past 10 years?

More bullshit features like reels. Stories is a chaos brewer but I can’t say I dislike a good Instagram story. It’s gone from basically a digital photo album to a weird entertainment-social networking conglomerate

A shift from quick photos, semi collage like to hyper curated with intense intention to detail.

yes, but the way i’ve felt about it has stayed the same (as in, it always has its cons regarding our self worth and beauty, etc.)

Omg wow I’ve been on IG for 10 years now which is crazy. The biggest change is MONETIZATION! Now that I work in marketing I see the other side of things too—there is an incentive for people on Instagram to create content that the algorithm will prefer. In the beginning there was no algorithm and brands weren’t on it, so it was posting what your friends think are cool. Now since there’s a large opportunity to get $$$ or opportunities on IG, the mindset has completely shifted.

In middle school, everything used to be a lot more filtered but casual. Now I think it’s less filtered, but more curated if that makes sense

Yesssssss I mean the features alone and how people post!!! I think it’s making a huge impact on youth today who are growing up on social media instead of in physical community spaces or even physical/analog media like magazines.

it feels like it has grown just as our generation has but that makes sense, those of us who have been using it have been growing up so of course the app has grown with us. Our generation takes it more serious than we did when we were 13, the app itself has slightly more privacy on a follower to follower basis (people can no longer see your activity if they follow you, you can turn likes and comments off)

it’s become more mainstream and creative, when i was in elementary and middle school it was very different with very informal posts and words for a smaller following, then it became more aesthetic based and now i feel like there’s a content forward focus

It’s a lot more “curated casual” parts of their everyday life

As the social media space has evolved to reward those who “game the algorithm,” trying to check out posts from people outside of your social circle tends to be a skewed ratio of less authentic/story-telling photography/art/media, and more so clickbait/graphically front-loaded posts that have products behind them as the real intention.

Its changed appearance but I think the agenda has stayed the same ish

Personally, I feel like it’s become more toxic. People used to post random, unfiltered content just for their friends whereas now it feels like a competition for who can live the best life.

From 2013-2023- initially it was more authentic as people were figuring out how to use the platform but entering the era of mass consumerism posts became more curated. Although there is a desire for authenticity again, the lines are blurred because of companies feeding off the desire for authenticity+curated authenticity (thinking of hidden advertising and photo dumps)

It keeps copying other platforms like spotify, tik tok, and bereal. Instagram wants a monopoly on our self image.

more memes, more cancel culture