I have never been a player in the Finsta game, although I will say that I happen to follow a few. Finstas are “fake” Instagram accounts that people make separate from their primary accounts. Finstas are usually a private way for Instagram users to display content which is very different from their public content.
My question for Finsta owners is, why do you need a secret account to express the real you? Sure, with parents and employers now infiltrating our social media platforms, it is understandable that there are some things that you don’t want them to see, but then why post it all when you could just send it to your closest friends?
Finstas are also being used as a place to voice emotions. I find majority of finsta posts are people venting about a stressful day, or sharing a photo of themselves crying. Which is fine, but it is further playing into the issue of profiles only displaying the seemingly perfect side of life. If you feel the need to share how you feel with multiple people, it would be more beneficial to society as a whole if we all worked to get rid of the perfect facades we put up on our primary accounts and just openly shared the truth there, rather than continuing to try and hide what our lives truly look like.
We all need an outlet for emotional release, and if finsta provides that for you, then that is incredible, but the best place to find comfort is in the support of other people. If you are afraid to tell people how you are really feeling, and are only expressing it behind the avatar of a fake account, you are only hurting yourself further. We all need friends who we can confide in and if your friends are making you feel like you have to turn to a secondary social media to pour out your feelings, then you may need to look into the legitimacy of your relationships.
Finstas were once a place to produce comedic content and have fun, but the finsta world is becoming a breeding ground for negativity. Finstas are often a place for people to trash others. These accounts have a guest list, meaning the owner grants access to who can and can’t see their posts, but people talk and screenshots exist, so other people end up getting hurt.
The largest problem with Finsta culture is the lackadaisical use of extreme language. Many Finsta users commonly express every day that their homework makes them “want to die” or they blatantly state that something makes them want to “kms.” While it is important to actively work towards the destigmatizing of mental health issues, the casual portrayal of suicidal thoughts is not something to joke about. The constant, insincere posting about these issues can make it hard for followers to decipher the difference between a serious problem, and just everyday ranting. If you are in need of genuine support, you need to reach out to a friend, a trusted adult, or a health professional.
So next time you go to make a Finsta post, think about what you are doing. Is this post something that will benefit you and others? Do you have a healthy relationship with social media? It is no longer just a fun website to post photos. Social media greatly affects our lives and can have serious implications. So, whatever you put out into the internet, try and make it something positive. We have no room left in society for animosity.
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