Welcome to a teen and twenty-something’s social media safe haven where wonderfully unfiltered, uncut, and brazen posts are shared amongst an individual’s closest and most trustworthy friends. Some may consider it a millennial phenomenon or a bizarre trend. This is technically referred to as ‘Finsta’, fake Instagram.
I learned through my friend’s finstas, the components of a typical post that include: ranting, archiving the adventures of a night out, irrelevant pictures, long personal stories, memes, sarcastic captions, misspelled words, and embarrassing photos. Finsta accounts could essentially be regarded as an online diary where teens let their freak flag fly and comically document their personal everyday quirks, mishaps, twenty-first century problems, and experiences.
For a majority, real Instagram accounts (aka ‘Rinstas’) are a platform where one has the freedom to post photos and captions that express their individuality and develop an image aesthetic. Finsta profiles, on the other hand, are traditionally private, as they often expose an individual’s brutally honest opinion that they do not wish to disclose with their so-called Rinsta followers. Evidently, the Finsta world can be a dangerous social media loophole where some users tell their followers a little too much information.
Since my social media presence was established in late middle school, friends, family, and peers have had the ability to watch me grow up over a series of posts that chronicles moments ranging from celebrating my cat’s existence, attending my first music festival, to graduating high school. As a person who strongly believes in embracing their true authenticity, I have continuously used Instagram (more specifically, a ‘Rinsta’) to appropriately convey my passions, everyday weirdness, and confusion with the world. The purpose of one’s Instagram profile varies from person to person, but I believe our generation should not always feel the pressures of posting pictures to prove their lives are better than their followers.
Our generation has come to rely upon the Finsta world to reveal our most personal thoughts and experiences that oftentimes do not belong on social media. The constant need to post every intimate detail of one’s life has trademarked an innate trait that has evolved throughout this generation. Admittedly, I have accepted this trait and learned to express these raw emotions through other means of expression.
As it is the peak of the Finsta age, our generation will eventually reevaluate their most audacious Finsta posts, laugh, and state: “What the actual #&*$.” It happens, and we all will learn. In today’s age, our digital footprints continue to matter, regardless of whether one’s social media account is private or not.
Personally, I believe Finstas can ultimately provide serious comic relief, however, as cliché as it is, always acknowledge that posted content could not only affect your reputation, but also the reputation of others.