As an introduction to the global impact of social media, it is critical to comprehend why social media hold such a relevant position in our lives. Perhaps the following article on Instagram and social media envy is a good place to start.
Reading this article I found that I was able to relate to the feeling of envy that people are getting when they see their friends on sunny vacations or on nice dinners with their boyfriends. About a year ago I read an article that stated that social media can make you depressed. It explained that people aren't going to post about being short on money, not getting the big job they interviewed for or not taking a shower for three days. Instead they are going to post about the good things that are going on in their lives. Promotions, weight loss, makeovers, vacations! While the follower looks through their feed they may feel that their life is lame compared to their friends when in reality they could be going through the exact same issues as you, they just choose not share those details. It's funny how much social media has evolved. It used to be a way to get in touch with old friends and stay connected and now just like everything else in our world it is becoming a competition.
I've most definitely felt "Instagram envy" while scrolling through my feed; however, I had never considered that so many others could feel the same way. I follow friends and some of my favorite musicians and celebrities. Like Becca said in her post, they post the good things. We don't get to see everything that goes on in their lives - just the things they want to celebrate. And we assume that their lives consist solely of those great things.
I will admit that I have been very envious of some things I've seen. And I do sense the competition. When I post a picture, I want it to look good. I've never thought that I could be making others envious of what I post, but I have posted pictures from concerts and vacations. I've never thought of it as bragging, just sharing my excitement.
It's been a while since I have posted anything on my Instagram because I'm not sure what really should be shared. I take tons of photos, but I'm not sure they are "worthy" of being posted on my Instagram or if I really feel like others need to see them. I've never been one to post updates on Facebook, and I rarely tweet. I don't know what it is that really compels me at times to think, "wow, this really needs to be shared with random people!" Does anyone really care? And why do we feel the need for others to see what we're doing?
Nicki, The problem that faces consumers of the medium and future media professionals is very similar. The envy for future media professionals, like you, is that your work is "not good enough' for the scrutiny of others or of yourself. In this sense the social medium has inhibited free expression of our creative nature. You ending questions really hit the point. If we are happy with our work, then we should be free to share without any negative aftermath.
I totally agree with Rebecca! I too can relate to feeling envious of other people on social media especially when it comes to going on nice vacations and spending time with their boyfriends, when in reality I spend my vacations from school working at a fast food restaurant to pay for my tuition and not seeing my boyfriend during our breaks do to the fact that we both work and we live 2 hours apart. On those vacations, I feel that I am moving apart from my friends and boyfriend because I don't associate with them during vacations and become totally jealous due to the fact that they are able to go out and have fun while I work and pretty much stay at home. I feel that social media is a competition anymore and the only reason anyone really does social media is to not stay in touch with friends and family, but pretty much rub in what a person has to others. I have a Facebook and about a year ago, I had a Twitter account but I feel that nothing really exciting happens so I never tweeted anything so I got rid of it. The last post I posted on Facebook was about 2 months ago and it was because I was finally having a date night with my boyfriend and all we did was go out to a fast food restaurant and went and saw the new Thor movie. So I definitely agree that social media can make a person depressed and that's because I am talking from experience.
I do not have an Instagram and am not really into it, so I am not fully aware of this "Instagram Envy," and to be honest I hardly even know what Instagram is. I do relate, however through Facebook. There are plenty of people that post pictures or things that they are doing that just makes me wonder if I am anywhere near them in my life. Social media definitely can feel like a competition, especially with pictures, as was stated in the article. I like what Nicki said when she wrote that when she posts a picture, she wants it to look good. I never post a profile picture unless I am totally comfortable with the way it looks. Everyone aches to be number one and it is easy to portray a perfect life when you only put the wonderful things on display.
I am like you in that I try to be so careful in my profile pictures. I want to be comfortable with the way I look and the image that I present. However, I often wonder if I am crafting a certain image of myself, one that does not reflect some of the truer aspects of who I am.
It's nearly impossible to scroll through Instagram and not feel envious of something or someone! It seems like someone is always posting pictures of the beach while it's snowing at home, or someone is in perfect shape and you can't dedicate yourself to the gym like they do. Of course people only post the good things in life, rarely do I see pictures of the "bad" things on my Instagram. I've loaded pictures before on my Instagram like when I spent a week on vacation in Cancun, I never did it to make people jealous, I just wanted to show people how beautiful it really was and how much fun I had! And of course, it was Instagram worthy! I always seem to spend too much time choosing what filter to use, or what should the caption be?I like Instagram a lot because I love looking at pictures, and some people I follow take really cool and interesting photos! I do like Instagram, but I feel like some people go too far at times, especially when they load five pictures at a time. If I ever get annoyed with people posting, I just simply unfollow them!
I like your observations. Instagram is a wonderful, visual tool that can enhance the photos we take. I agree that most people do not post Instagram photos to brag; rather, they post because felt some object or some location was visually stunning. Maybe we, as the image viewers, are to blame for our thoughts of envy as an unintended consequence of this act.
I could definitely relate to this article, especially when it comes to "instagram envy," which is a feeling that I often get when scrolling through my own instagram feed. Instagram is undoubtedly one of the most user-friendly photo sharing applications of our time, however as Rebecca stated, it (and social media, in general) oftentimes causes depression. For the most part, people tend to only post about positive things in their lives--such as amazing vacations, pictures with loved ones, delicious meals,or perhaps their purchases from their latest shopping trip--in turn, causing others to feel this "envy". The problem with instagram seems to be that the purpose of the platform is to share photos from people's daily lives, but in reality many of these photos are highly staged and over-edited so that they may appear "cooler" to the viewer's eye. As a frequent user, I myself get insecure about posting photos, and won't post a photo unless it looks just right. Why do we do this? To get more "likes" on a picture? Maybe it's so our lives might actually seem more thrilling than they actually are? It's something to think about, for sure.
Throughout reading this article, I could not get help but think of a quote I once heard. I feel that this quote definitely relates to instagram envy: "The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel." In instagram's case, this quote couldn't ring truer. Maybe we feel envious because instagram truly is a "highlight reel" of our lives. We don't post about the hardships, sad times, and daily struggles of our lives. This is why others feel insecure or envious of others while on instagram because they might be thinking: "Why isn't my life like that?" or "I wish I had the money to do this/that," ect.
This past summer I actually had the opportunity to study abroad in Paris, which when it was mentioned in the article I found it extremely ironic. Of course I instagrammed many pictures while I was there, but as Andrea said, it was never really to make others feel envious, but rather, to show the beautiful sights I was witnessing.
I feel as though everyone who has commented thus far has kind of hit the nail on the head in regard to “Instagram envy.” I think Instagram has quickly become another social platform for competition. I would say Instagram is definitely my favorite form of social media because I have always had a love for photography and I would much rather see a picture make a statement & express emotion versus seeing it in words. However, I cannot help acknowledge how superficial and shallow the app really is. The quality of a picture should not be determined by the amount of likes it gets but that is often how it is. I am guilty of this thought process when it comes to my own posts too. As most everyone else has mentioned, I do not post a picture unless it reaches my high standards. As Andrea said, I spend too much time then choosing a filter and what to say along with the photo. I have more than once come to be truly annoyed with myself in wasting so much time and personal judgment on my posts. I have also debated deleting one or more posts before because it had a poor outcome in “likes.” I liked the picture when I posted it but I changed my opinion of it because others didn’t have it. How stupid is that?
With a Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram account I am the first person to admit I give into social media completely and I find it to be somewhat addicting. If I’m bored, I’m constantly refreshing feeds and it becomes a habit. Honestly though, I wish I didn’t utilize any of them and even better, didn’t exist but in its popularity today, it is hard not to want to be apart of what’s going on on these sites. I truly believe though that there are no benefits to its impact on society and they just cause more insecurities, jealousy, and time away from things that should matter to us more.
From “selfies” of the prettiest girls getting 100+ likes on a post, to pictures of new Michael Kors bags, to a person getting spoiled by their significant other.. What is the significance of social media & why does it play such a heavy role in so many people’s lives? I find them completely irrelevant to the real world and practically an escape to create profiles that portray a life you want people to think you are living.
I am like Josh in the sense I do not have a Instagram but I can say I've been pushed by many to get one. In addition, I was pushed by friends to get a Snapchat which is primarily pictures as well. I did cave in and signed up for Snapchat, but I am one who would rather receive pictures as opposed to take pictures of myself. I'd rather not take so many pictures of myself.
I digress though. What I see with this photo accounts is the desire for people to share every little moment of their lives on social media. In addition to taking pictures, seeing pictures is just as addicting and people bury their heads into their phones to look at their timeline. I agree with multiple people in this discussion saying that people seem to post on social media to get "likes" and it has become more of a competition to get themselves noticed. The desire for people to "go viral" might be an underlying cause for this. Ordinary people with clever thoughts, photos, etc. are constantly highlighted on social media for an eye-popping post and I think just like there is competition to find jobs, people want to be on top and want their lives to stand out.
After reading most of the comments I think we all pretty much have the same thoughts. I have an Instagram, but never use it. I do have a Snapchat, and use it often. I think that photo accounts lead to some people sharing every waking moment of their life, and would have to agree that a lot of people post for the attention and I could relate to this article because people do tend to post only positive events in their life, which can make others envious as to what seems to be "a perfect life". Social media tends to do this to many people especially if they feel they aren't "living their life" if they aren't going to the beach, or meeting famous people over college breaks etc. I know that over break I watched my News Feed on Facebook get clogged by pictures from people all over the world on vacation. Whereas I was at home, working every hour I could as a waitress just to be able to afford to return this semester. So the "Instagram envy" or social media envy is probably a real thing for people that feel they are missing out on experiences others are having. However, I love seeing what my friends are doing, especially the ones I don't see often. And sometimes it's fun to come up with awesome captions to go with pictures you take in your daily life. And the truth is, if you don't like what people are posting, you can unfriend, or unfollow them. We are all humans, and even if we say we don't get jealous, we know deep down we do. I know that I want to move to Australia once I graduate and seeing my friends that live their post all about the things they do, makes me "envy" them. I don't mean it in a bad way though, but it's true people only Instagram/ picture mostly the good in life.
I believe this kind of envy has always been around however the difference now is that it is so much more in your face. Social media has allowed us to share our accomplishments and other good things in our lives quickly with a large number of people. When people are posting these picture I don't think they are doing it to make other people jealous but they are boasting about what they are doing. I think we all need some validation that what we are doing is good and exciting and when other people make these types of comments it does make us feel good about ourselves.
Reading this article I found that I was able to relate to the feeling of envy that people are getting when they see their friends on sunny vacations or on nice dinners with their boyfriends.
ReplyDeleteAbout a year ago I read an article that stated that social media can make you depressed. It explained that people aren't going to post about being short on money, not getting the big job they interviewed for or not taking a shower for three days. Instead they are going to post about the good things that are going on in their lives. Promotions, weight loss, makeovers, vacations! While the follower looks through their feed they may feel that their life is lame compared to their friends when in reality they could be going through the exact same issues as you, they just choose not share those details.
It's funny how much social media has evolved. It used to be a way to get in touch with old friends and stay connected and now just like everything else in our world it is becoming a competition.
Very astute observations Becca! It does seem that the competition phase has been a recent, and disturbing, outcome of a noble form of communication.
DeleteI've most definitely felt "Instagram envy" while scrolling through my feed; however, I had never considered that so many others could feel the same way. I follow friends and some of my favorite musicians and celebrities. Like Becca said in her post, they post the good things. We don't get to see everything that goes on in their lives - just the things they want to celebrate. And we assume that their lives consist solely of those great things.
ReplyDeleteI will admit that I have been very envious of some things I've seen. And I do sense the competition. When I post a picture, I want it to look good. I've never thought that I could be making others envious of what I post, but I have posted pictures from concerts and vacations. I've never thought of it as bragging, just sharing my excitement.
It's been a while since I have posted anything on my Instagram because I'm not sure what really should be shared. I take tons of photos, but I'm not sure they are "worthy" of being posted on my Instagram or if I really feel like others need to see them. I've never been one to post updates on Facebook, and I rarely tweet. I don't know what it is that really compels me at times to think, "wow, this really needs to be shared with random people!" Does anyone really care? And why do we feel the need for others to see what we're doing?
Nicki,
DeleteThe problem that faces consumers of the medium and future media professionals is very similar. The envy for future media professionals, like you, is that your work is "not good enough' for the scrutiny of others or of yourself. In this sense the social medium has inhibited free expression of our creative nature. You ending questions really hit the point. If we are happy with our work, then we should be free to share without any negative aftermath.
I totally agree with Rebecca! I too can relate to feeling envious of other people on social media especially when it comes to going on nice vacations and spending time with their boyfriends, when in reality I spend my vacations from school working at a fast food restaurant to pay for my tuition and not seeing my boyfriend during our breaks do to the fact that we both work and we live 2 hours apart. On those vacations, I feel that I am moving apart from my friends and boyfriend because I don't associate with them during vacations and become totally jealous due to the fact that they are able to go out and have fun while I work and pretty much stay at home.
ReplyDeleteI feel that social media is a competition anymore and the only reason anyone really does social media is to not stay in touch with friends and family, but pretty much rub in what a person has to others. I have a Facebook and about a year ago, I had a Twitter account but I feel that nothing really exciting happens so I never tweeted anything so I got rid of it. The last post I posted on Facebook was about 2 months ago and it was because I was finally having a date night with my boyfriend and all we did was go out to a fast food restaurant and went and saw the new Thor movie. So I definitely agree that social media can make a person depressed and that's because I am talking from experience.
Thanks for your insight Heather.
DeleteI do not have an Instagram and am not really into it, so I am not fully aware of this "Instagram Envy," and to be honest I hardly even know what Instagram is. I do relate, however through Facebook. There are plenty of people that post pictures or things that they are doing that just makes me wonder if I am anywhere near them in my life. Social media definitely can feel like a competition, especially with pictures, as was stated in the article. I like what Nicki said when she wrote that when she posts a picture, she wants it to look good. I never post a profile picture unless I am totally comfortable with the way it looks. Everyone aches to be number one and it is easy to portray a perfect life when you only put the wonderful things on display.
ReplyDeleteJosh,
DeleteI am like you in that I try to be so careful in my profile pictures. I want to be comfortable with the way I look and the image that I present. However, I often wonder if I am crafting a certain image of myself, one that does not reflect some of the truer aspects of who I am.
It's nearly impossible to scroll through Instagram and not feel envious of something or someone! It seems like someone is always posting pictures of the beach while it's snowing at home, or someone is in perfect shape and you can't dedicate yourself to the gym like they do. Of course people only post the good things in life, rarely do I see pictures of the "bad" things on my Instagram. I've loaded pictures before on my Instagram like when I spent a week on vacation in Cancun, I never did it to make people jealous, I just wanted to show people how beautiful it really was and how much fun I had! And of course, it was Instagram worthy! I always seem to spend too much time choosing what filter to use, or what should the caption be?I like Instagram a lot because I love looking at pictures, and some people I follow take really cool and interesting photos! I do like Instagram, but I feel like some people go too far at times, especially when they load five pictures at a time. If I ever get annoyed with people posting, I just simply unfollow them!
ReplyDeleteAndrea,
DeleteI like your observations. Instagram is a wonderful, visual tool that can enhance the photos we take. I agree that most people do not post Instagram photos to brag; rather, they post because felt some object or some location was visually stunning. Maybe we, as the image viewers, are to blame for our thoughts of envy as an unintended consequence of this act.
I could definitely relate to this article, especially when it comes to "instagram envy," which is a feeling that I often get when scrolling through my own instagram feed. Instagram is undoubtedly one of the most user-friendly photo sharing applications of our time, however as Rebecca stated, it (and social media, in general) oftentimes causes depression. For the most part, people tend to only post about positive things in their lives--such as amazing vacations, pictures with loved ones, delicious meals,or perhaps their purchases from their latest shopping trip--in turn, causing others to feel this "envy". The problem with instagram seems to be that the purpose of the platform is to share photos from people's daily lives, but in reality many of these photos are highly staged and over-edited so that they may appear "cooler" to the viewer's eye. As a frequent user, I myself get insecure about posting photos, and won't post a photo unless it looks just right. Why do we do this? To get more "likes" on a picture? Maybe it's so our lives might actually seem more thrilling than they actually are? It's something to think about, for sure.
ReplyDeleteThroughout reading this article, I could not get help but think of a quote I once heard. I feel that this quote definitely relates to instagram envy:
"The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel."
In instagram's case, this quote couldn't ring truer. Maybe we feel envious because instagram truly is a "highlight reel" of our lives. We don't post about the hardships, sad times, and daily struggles of our lives. This is why others feel insecure or envious of others while on instagram because they might be thinking: "Why isn't my life like that?" or "I wish I had the money to do this/that," ect.
This past summer I actually had the opportunity to study abroad in Paris, which when it was mentioned in the article I found it extremely ironic. Of course I instagrammed many pictures while I was there, but as Andrea said, it was never really to make others feel envious, but rather, to show the beautiful sights I was witnessing.
I feel as though everyone who has commented thus far has kind of hit the nail on the head in regard to “Instagram envy.” I think Instagram has quickly become another social platform for competition. I would say Instagram is definitely my favorite form of social media because I have always had a love for photography and I would much rather see a picture make a statement & express emotion versus seeing it in words. However, I cannot help acknowledge how superficial and shallow the app really is.
ReplyDeleteThe quality of a picture should not be determined by the amount of likes it gets but that is often how it is. I am guilty of this thought process when it comes to my own posts too. As most everyone else has mentioned, I do not post a picture unless it reaches my high standards. As Andrea said, I spend too much time then choosing a filter and what to say along with the photo. I have more than once come to be truly annoyed with myself in wasting so much time and personal judgment on my posts. I have also debated deleting one or more posts before because it had a poor outcome in “likes.” I liked the picture when I posted it but I changed my opinion of it because others didn’t have it. How stupid is that?
With a Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram account I am the first person to admit I give into social media completely and I find it to be somewhat addicting. If I’m bored, I’m constantly refreshing feeds and it becomes a habit. Honestly though, I wish I didn’t utilize any of them and even better, didn’t exist but in its popularity today, it is hard not to want to be apart of what’s going on on these sites. I truly believe though that there are no benefits to its impact on society and they just cause more insecurities, jealousy, and time away from things that should matter to us more.
From “selfies” of the prettiest girls getting 100+ likes on a post, to pictures of new Michael Kors bags, to a person getting spoiled by their significant other.. What is the significance of social media & why does it play such a heavy role in so many people’s lives? I find them completely irrelevant to the real world and practically an escape to create profiles that portray a life you want people to think you are living.
I am like Josh in the sense I do not have a Instagram but I can say I've been pushed by many to get one. In addition, I was pushed by friends to get a Snapchat which is primarily pictures as well. I did cave in and signed up for Snapchat, but I am one who would rather receive pictures as opposed to take pictures of myself. I'd rather not take so many pictures of myself.
ReplyDeleteI digress though. What I see with this photo accounts is the desire for people to share every little moment of their lives on social media. In addition to taking pictures, seeing pictures is just as addicting and people bury their heads into their phones to look at their timeline. I agree with multiple people in this discussion saying that people seem to post on social media to get "likes" and it has become more of a competition to get themselves noticed. The desire for people to "go viral" might be an underlying cause for this. Ordinary people with clever thoughts, photos, etc. are constantly highlighted on social media for an eye-popping post and I think just like there is competition to find jobs, people want to be on top and want their lives to stand out.
After reading most of the comments I think we all pretty much have the same thoughts. I have an Instagram, but never use it. I do have a Snapchat, and use it often. I think that photo accounts lead to some people sharing every waking moment of their life, and would have to agree that a lot of people post for the attention and
ReplyDeleteI could relate to this article because people do tend to post only positive events in their life, which can make others envious as to what seems to be "a perfect life". Social media tends to do this to many people especially if they feel they aren't "living their life" if they aren't going to the beach, or meeting famous people over college breaks etc. I know that over break I watched my News Feed on Facebook get clogged by pictures from people all over the world on vacation. Whereas I was at home, working every hour I could as a waitress just to be able to afford to return this semester. So the "Instagram envy" or social media envy is probably a real thing for people that feel they are missing out on experiences others are having.
However, I love seeing what my friends are doing, especially the ones I don't see often. And sometimes it's fun to come up with awesome captions to go with pictures you take in your daily life. And the truth is, if you don't like what people are posting, you can unfriend, or unfollow them. We are all humans, and even if we say we don't get jealous, we know deep down we do. I know that I want to move to Australia once I graduate and seeing my friends that live their post all about the things they do, makes me "envy" them. I don't mean it in a bad way though, but it's true people only Instagram/ picture mostly the good in life.
I believe this kind of envy has always been around however the difference now is that it is so much more in your face. Social media has allowed us to share our accomplishments and other good things in our lives quickly with a large number of people. When people are posting these picture I don't think they are doing it to make other people jealous but they are boasting about what they are doing. I think we all need some validation that what we are doing is good and exciting and when other people make these types of comments it does make us feel good about ourselves.
ReplyDelete