When life gives you lemons, take a picture and put it on Instagram

Hello all!

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy start to 2017! No doubt the majority of you reading would have posted something on Instagram documenting what food you’ve eaten, what presents you’ve received or selfies with friends and family over the Christmas period – And as Instagram has over 500 million users it’s really not surprising! With the rise of gadgets being bought for young people, which I discussed in my previous blog post, you could almost hear the irritating sound of the iPhone keyboards tapping away as 12 year old’s began to create their social media accounts before tucking into their Christmas dinner. As fun as Instagram may be, it can have its dangers.

In case you are unaware, Instagram is a simple, yet popular app that lets you edit and upload your favourite photos, as well as commenting and sharing with others. I probably don’t need to explain anymore as not only will most of you have an account, you will probably have more followers than I do. Although the app is a great way to see what your friends are up to and keep in touch with family, it allows you to follow the ‘real lives’ of whoever you choose. Although this may seem great, this can be a danger to young people who are heavily influenced by other people. The danger is that most of it is not real. Jazz Egger is a well known model has re-captioned all of her posted photos on Instagram to reveal the truth behind each one, even explaining how she didn’t consume salt, sugar or fat to prevent her skin from breaking out – making the glamorous lifestyle seem not so glamorous anymore.

She also reveals how she only posted certain pictures because she got paid to do so. Although a model may seem happy enough posing in a designer bikini in a photo, you don’t know their true feelings behind the shoot, what it took to look like that or how they felt about themselves. You may see an attractive couple looking loved up and contently happy, with thousands of likes to confirm their relationship, however no one of knows what happens behind closed doors. It is very easy to believe everything you see on social media – believe me I have done it myself. Once you get caught up in the idea that likes and comments are the only things that matter, it’s hard to get out. You start to believe that if you don’t get the amount of likes that an ‘instagrammer’ does, then it means you are not important, which can have a real effect on the self esteem of young people of today as they become more and more exposed to the online word.

Rich Kids of Instagram

You may have seen earlier last year, a series on Channel 4 called ‘Rich Kids of Instagram’. Like me, you may not have watched the whole thing, as watching people the same age as you simply throw thousands of pounds into the back of their wardrobe like it’s nothing can be highly irritating. When you really think about it, these are the kinds of role models that are being set for today’s generation of young adults. The idea that clothes and gadgets are more important than real life experiences is something that is constantly being paraded over Instagram, meaning children will start to idolise an unrealistic lifestyle.

Social media can have a huge effect on how people view themselves. So scrolling through your Instagram feed when you first wake up in the morning to see a 16 year old showing off their luxurious lifestyle is going to make you feel nothing but envy, and make you question why your life is nothing like theirs. As a result, it really wouldn’t surprise me if we see an increase in materialistic children online, as they try to imitate the lives of popular social media faces, showing off their belongings and having a craving for expensive items.

Just got a new phone? Put it on Instagram. Dining at a restaurant? Put it on Instagram. Whatever it is these young adults are doing, you can almost guarantee you’ll see it on Instagram. If you need an example have a gander at the screenshot of my own Instagram, with burgers, cocktails and outings with friends. Whatever I did my Instagram never missed out.

Thanks for reading!

Holly