I’ve gone down a rabbit hole on “casual Instagram,” and there’s no going back. Now, I find myself writing a whole article on it, hoping to share a new perspective on this hot take, so let’s get into it. For those that don’t know, casual Instagram is a new trend where people post “photo dumps” of pretty much anything they want. I admit, I’m a big fan of the trend, and I definitely contribute to it, so I found myself offended reading and watching takes on it. After putting my pride aside, I have concluded all these takes are not wrong; however, I do think there are some positive aspects to this trend, so I’m here to share both sides to it.
The word I’ve seen the most revolving around this is “curated.” Casual Instagram is meant to be cool and effortless, a way of showing you don’t care and you’re going to post whatever you want. But, in reality, that’s far from the truth. The truth is that Instagram will always be curated, and you’re always going to put some type of effort into it. Although the pictures are seen as less glamorized and more of real life, we’re still picking and choosing the ones we want that will add to our aesthetics. At the end of the day, Instagram is a highlight reel, and this will always be true. However, I would like to state this isn’t a bad thing.
I was so offended by these takes because, really, I felt exposed and called out. It’s like someone discovering I’m actually not as cool or as effortless as my pictures make me seem. Just because you’re actually putting time and thought into what you want to share with the internet doesn’t suddenly make you “fake” — it’s just an acknowledgment and a reminder to yourself. Keep posting what you want; just remember no one’s life always looks this way, and that’s okay.
Although casual Instagram is still very curated, I do think this trend allows us to see a different view into people’s lives in comparison to seeing images of one another constantly. Another take I’ve heard is how now people go out of their way to find this image or something funny to fit into photo dumps. Although this may be the experience for some, I also think these are the same photos we’ve also always had in our camera rolls but never put them anywhere because of the way social media was previously viewed. I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say I just really enjoy taking pictures of things that bring me joy and make me laugh, and there’s definitely nothing wrong with that.
I know there are always people that will say they don’t care about what you post, but I do! I really do care. I love seeing what music you’re listening to, what shows you’re watching, what you’re cooking, what your review is on that book you just read. I want to see that meme you found or that funny picture you took of your friend. I truly love seeing people’s day-to-day life and the things they stopped to take a picture of. Keep taking pictures and appreciate the small moments in your life because those are always the best.