We would be lying if we said we didn’t totally read into every single like we get on Instagram. We post the picture, wait for a few people to like it, then go through our notifications to see who took the time to double tap our carefully thought out Instagram post. Whether its friends, foes, or flings, we all have some pretty crazy thoughts when we see who likes our pictures.
BFF’s
You just posted a squad pic and within the first seven seconds, you are bombarded with likes from each member of your crew. This is some serious BFF appreciation and it is an unspoken rule that if you get tagged in the squad pic, you better be double tapping right away. This insta-like is exactly what we think it means: you and your besties are low key obsessed with each other!
People You Hated in High School
It’s the girl you cursed under your breath as she strutted down the hallway in her Juicy sweat suit and Chanel purse that you swore was a knockoff. She was the social scene queen, nominated for homecoming court, and with everything always seeming to go her way, you prayed a little extra at night that high school would be her peak. So, when you post a picture from your wild night out on the town in your new outfit looking like a solid 9.5/10 (nobody’s perfect) having the time of your life, you slowly transform into the smirking little purple devil emoji when your arch-nemesis likes your picture. You’re thinking to yourself: HA. Take that. I wonder if she’s jealous? She must not be having a good time in college. Her and her friends never liked each other anyways. Started from the bottom now I’m here. Still hoping you peaked in high school.
Random Person You Met at the Party Last Night
***Low Quality Pic with High Quality New Best Friend***
You became instant best friends when you bonded over the dilemma of the toilet paper shortage at the frat house last night, so obviously you immediately followed each other on all social media accounts. You wake up in the morning with your eyes partially crusted shut from your weekend mascara and you dizzily reach for your phone, seeing that you have 53 new notifications on Instagram from the stranger in the bathroom that you’ll probably awkwardly avoid if you see them in public. You’ll silently laugh to yourself as you jog your memory of last night’s bathroom encounter as you scroll through their profile trying to recall what they actually looked like. You think to yourself: I can’t even be mad. Drunk spam, that’s all. It’s totally casual. What was her name again???
The Ex
Immediate thought: OH HELL NO HE DID NOT. For some reason, when an ex likes our latest selfie (eyebrows on fleek) we are overcome with a fit of anger, failing miserably at pretending to not be bitter. Did him and his new girlfriend break up? OMG do you think she knows he was creeping on me?! OMG! Should I message her? I should tell her. No way, all hell might break loose. Does this mean he wants to get back together? No. I would never. But, we did have some pretty amazing times… Your swirling tornado of anger then turns into a tub of Ben and Jerry’s and hours of looking through old pictures of the two of you when you were together, reminiscing on all the good times. Damn you, ex-fling, damn you.
Your Current Crush
The most notorious Insta-like for driving us completely insane. We all know that feeling when we see his name pop up saying he liked our photo. Our heart begins to race at a thousand miles per minute, and we immediately go check his most recent pictures to make sure he’s as single as you are. Our thoughts run wild as we do a mental victory dance that our crush just liked our picture. Yes, FINALLY!!! The only like I really care about….so does this mean we’re dating now, or??? Does this mean he thinks I’m pretty? Should I message him? No, I don’t want to be too forward. Should I go like his last picture to let him know I totally want to date him too? Wow, what a time to be alive. I’m pretty sure we’re dating, it’s fine. We start getting all jittery as our friends look at us like we have four heads because no normal person gets this excited over a silly little like. They’re just jealous that you have a new boyfriend.
Well, there you have it. The breakdown of our breakdowns when we get likes on Instagram. Don’t even try to fool anyone into believing that you don’t relate to these thought processes in some sort of way, because frankly, we don’t believe you. So, next time your crush likes your smokin’ hot selfie, the answer is yes, you’re totally dating.