The above photo was taken by me two days ago at Maligne Lake during a little family adventure. During this trip, I posted many beautiful scenic shots to my Instagram page. Was I trying to brag about the fun I was having? No. Was I trying to paint a perfect picture of my mini vacation? Again, no. So what was I doing on Instagram, then? If I’m not attempting to boast about my life or seek validation from strangers through little hearts, why I do I need to post pictures on social media?
Since the photo sharing app came out, the values underlying Instagram have come under question. Those who take pictures of their food get attacked and selfies are often ridiculed. Over the years, we have adopted this mentality that the only reason a person would post to Instagram is to seek attention. For those who don’t use Instagram for attention-seeking purposes, this stigma can get highly frustrating.
Why Do I Use Instagram?
We are so fortunate to live in a time where everything we do can be documented and stored on the Internet, away from burglaries or house fires. You can look at any technology in a negative light, or you can choose to embrace it with optimism, like I do. Instagram allows you to share a moment in time, knowing that it will be there forever (unless your account gets hacked). Unlike the days of yore, in the 21st century, we don’t have to worry about wasting film or waiting painstakingly for the right lighting or be frustrated when someone walks in front of the camera. Digital cameras and photo editing apps are at our disposal to allow us to angle and edit a scene to look just how you want it to be preserved in your memories.
By no means am I a professional photographer. Depending on your personal opinion, my photos may not even be good. But Instagram doesn’t discriminate. Anybody with a phone can use it to express their creativity and capture their favourite moments. Although I am broadcasting my life to an audience of followers, I’m not doing it for them. Anybody close enough to me will know what I’m doing even if it’s not on social media, and those who I don’t know could probably care less about my life. That’s why I use Instagram for me, to be able to preserve pretty moments in my life in a safe, organized, aesthetically pleasing place.
What Is ‘Location Services’?
Put simply, I use Instagram for the location services. Yes, this may seem like a strange reason, but it is basically one of the only reasons I log on every day. If you’ve never used it before, it’s that little upside-down teardrop with a dot in the middle. When you click on it, you are taken to a map that displays all the photos you’ve taken with an added location.
Out of all the places I’ve been to over my years on Instagram, I have never failed to find a location for anything. It does require that you have your location services enabled for both Instagram and Photos (if you’re using an iPhone), so if you don’t have cellular data then you might be out of luck.
For locations that are registered on Instagram, the text will appear in blue above your photo. On the odd occasion that your location is not in the database, you can add your own and it will appear in grey. When you click on the location , it will take you to a page that features all the photos other people who have also checked in there have taken. (This feature only works for registered, blue, locations.)
What’s So Great About Location Services?
At the end of the day, it’s highly satisfying to go to my map and see all of the photos I’ve taken pop up all over the place. One day, I hope to have these picture icons all over the world. It’s my way of leaving my mark on a place without actually having to physically alter anything.
I love to use this feature for restaurants, as you can see exactly what the food looks like when it’s not taken by a professional photographer. (If you are a professional photographer on Instagram, I respect your work, too.) The same goes for travel locations or really anything else you can think of. Because the photos are more amateurish, you can see the place for what it really is and not have overblown expectations that you otherwise would looking at pictures professionally shot and edited.
The Final Verdict
If you were to scroll through my Instagram page, you would probably find random selfies or other photos that don’t have a deep meaning attached. There are also photos that don’t have a location added, which is scandalous, I know. While I do use Instagram as a travel-diary-scrapbook-esque contraption, I do also let myself post other photos that I think look good.
During waves of boredom, nostalgia, or maybe even loneliness, I can look back through my photo diary and remember all of the emotions and conversations attached to each image. Even though I’m only sharing the good moments of my life, I don’t consider it lying to the world or trying to paint a perfect picture. The rough patches in my life are times that I would rather not remember, let alone immortalize for the public eye. I will keep the lessons I learned at heart and think about the situation on my own time, but there’s no obligation to share everything. Should other people think that you’re perfect based on your social media posts it will only reflect how little they actually care about the person you are or getting to know about your life.
At the end of the day, we’re all entitled to post whatever we want. People will try to tell you that there are ‘unwritten Instagram rules’ that you must abide by in order to be a good Instagram citizen. Truth is, no one will really care—they’re probably too busy worrying about themselves. Everybody has their own tastes and thoughts regarding what a ‘good’ photo looks like, so don’t be discouraged by your number of followers or likes. (If you seek validation from strangers on the Internet, I won’t be the one to judge you. In fact, the entire point of this article is to remind people to tone down the judgement a few notches.)
Again, I’m not a photographer, but I do like taking pictures. The photos I’m particularly proud of and enjoy end up on my Instagram account. Using hashtags is a convenient way for other people who have similar interests to find said pictures. Using photo editing devices lets people see exactly what I do by adjusting the brightness or saturation settings. You can call me an attention seeker or whatever else you like. It won’t stop me from doing something I enjoy.
I have an eye for aesthetics and when I see an opportunity for a good photo, I take it. (Get it? Get the puns? Okay, I’ll leave now.)
