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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SJSU chapter.

Photo dumping is a social media trend where one takes an array of photos, which don’t necessarily have to be related to one another and posts them on social media. 

On Instagram, you may have seen someone post a random assortment of photos that they have taken. Take Sabrina Carpenter’s Instagram post from July for example. In this post alone she shows a picture of food, multiple selfies, and a city street. None of the pictures have anything to do with each other, but why do they feel so connected?

It finally feels okay to post whatever you want with no filter (no pun intended) which explains why photo dumping has become so popular. Pictures in a photo dump may feel connected because this new social media fad is a much more comforting scene than what Instagram users saw pre-pandemic, where it felt obligatory to have a matching feed, the perfect caption, and the perfect pose.

With this current trend, you can post just about anything. Most people tend to upload pictures that they’ve taken recently. It’s raw and it feels much more personal. Photo dumping is basically an online visual diary. 

Now, this is a trend we can all get behind! Before the pandemic, social media users felt inclined to post their best and most exciting moments. With being stuck at home, there weren’t many eventful moments for people to capture. In fact, one lesson the pandemic has taught people is to appreciate the little things in life.

Photo dumping came from a place of gratitude where people go out in the world and say “Hey, I really like this!” and capture cute little moments to share with everyone else.

Post that photo dump because life is too short to not share the minuscule moments that make us happy.

Tell us what you think of this trend by tagging us @hercampusjsu on social media! 

Yoo-hoo, It's Mary Kay here! I'm a 4th-year Advertising student at San Jose State University. Other than being a writer for Her Campus, I also currently intern at Dwight, Bentel & Hall Communications as a copywriter.