“How many followers do you have?” “What’s your current aesthetic?” “Do you have a good ratio?” “What’s a good time to post for maximum likes?”
The year is 2018, and iPhone screens provide validation for Millennials in the form of double taps and retweets.
Because this generation doesn’t already spend enough time on our smartphones, a lot of us have decided to double the number of Instagram accounts we hide behind. Like many others, I have normal Instagram, and an account most people refer to as a “finstagram,” or “fake-Instagram.”
Urban Dictionary defines “finsta” as a place where, “When people have a finsta they post pictures they only want their closest friends seeing instead of their regular Instagram (rinsta) followers to see.”
My “finsta” is purely sarcastic. Truthfully, I put a lot more work into the captions than the pictures. I use the pictures to expose my embarrassing moments in a humorous way.
My regular Instagram account is all fake, I’ll be the first to admit it. All of my pictures are edited, and I sit on a caption for hours before pulling the trigger and clicking “post.” The picture is of me smiling, teeth white, brightness adjusted, blemishes smoothed out and a slight fade that brings it all together.
To everyone scrolling through their timelines, the picture sums up a great night, full of candid laughter. No one will know that for various reasons I wanted to be anywhere but that party. But thanks to “the ‘gram,” I had a killer weekend.
The pressure to create a life on Instagram is dangerous. If you’re someone who clicks “take picture” after clicking “change profile picture,” I most likely don’t trust you because that, my friend, is one ballsy move. However, I also find it admirable. If you don’t hide behind filters or strictly stick to publishing your highlight reel, I applaud you.
At the end of the day, just try to remember everyone has a retouched life online. Including you. That doesn’t mean all your pictures are fake and filtered, it just means no one is going to post a picture of the test they failed or of themselves crying.
Those moments occur even in insta-famous people’s lives but are often only captured on “finstagram” accounts if they are captured at all.
So next time you want to compare your life to someone’s online account, stick to the “finstas” because it contains the least fake content.
