It’s great to have a scroll through Instagram to pass the time on journeys home from college or a hungover Sunday (prime hours for insta posts if you want to get all those likes, according to my source…. Her Campus DCU team, cough, cough).
But there’s nothing worse than happily going through the social media site and gradually making yourself feel like crap, in your pj’s and ordering pizza, looking at all of the flawless insta-famous people posting pictures of their perfect lives.
Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of us girls and guys post pictures to show off and maybe show an ex what they’re missing. I mean, I sure as hell do not look as fresh on Sunday morning as the strategically posed selfie from the night before.
The only problem is that the “perfect lives” on Instagram are always there. The girl you follow that travels around the world, always wears bikinis and sips on coconut water or the girl who has flawless makeup and goes to high profile events religiously, they’re always there making your reality seem a little bit dull. But I think we can all agree they don’t mind having a cozy night in with messy buns and a face stripped of make-up too.
I can’t help but wonder whether or not these bloggers truly live the lives they have mapped out on social media. If you were to scroll through anyone’s Instagram then it would seem like everyone is living a fairytale. The harsh reality is that no one leads a truly glamorous life and everyone wakes up with the same insecurities and hang-ups. In that way Instagram, along with all social media, can be problematic because why would anyone want to draw attention to the negative things in their lives. It’s crucial we remember that online we’re all actors and actresses and while some of us are posting pics from the club and others from London fashion week, we all share something in common and that’s being human. Perfectly flawed humans.
Thumbnail byToni Hukkanen