Instagram was created in 2010 by Facebook. It is the fastest growing social network site to date with over 70 million photos shared and over 25 billion likes per day from over 500 million active users.
This sounds like a lot of success for the company, but when we look at how the site has changed its users’ lives, it doesn’t seem so great. Instagram was rated as the social media that affects teenagers' mental health the most with rates of anxiety and depression increasing in young people by 70% over the last 25 years. I can see how this has effected those around me, including myself.
I use the site as a way of showcasing my hobby of photography. And whilst this is a great thing, I find myself comparing my work to other photographers using the site who are either professional or have been practising the hobby for much longer than I have been. This has made me want to give up my hobby a number of times. This seems to be a common effect of the app among young people. Seeing people we follow posting photos of themselves on holiday or at parties with their friends creates a fear of missing out and loneliness. Users of Instagram have the ability to make their lives appear however they want: they don’t have to show the times when they are sitting at home watching X Factor on a Saturday night with their parents, which makes the people doing this feel left out because they think that their friends aren't doing the same thing. When, in fact, they are.
On the other hand, the app has changed my life in many positive ways too- it hasn’t just increased levels of anxiety or decreased self- confidence. Instagram has allowed me to communicate with friends who live far away or don’t go to the same school anymore. Without this, I would not be able to see what these friends are now doing and I wouldn’t have kept in contact with them. Moreover, the site has given me somewhere to share my love of photography with people with the same interests. It has inspired me to become better at my hobby and gives me new ideas each day.
The app has many negatives but, as with anything, there are also positives. It’s just a matter of if the positives outweigh the negatives. And sometimes, I’m not sure they do.
Here are some photos that I have taken:
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