I usually hear from my cousins and friends that my Instagram feed and stories are usually drab and boring. It’s mostly politics, poetic, or something that is not ver junk in its content. They meant I rarely share those “insta genic” “moments” In my life.
On a positive note, Instagram does make me happy. It makes me glad when I see an old friend of mine who was not very good at studies posting a selfie giggling at her graduation cap.
I was thrilled to find another picture of a friend who went through cyber harassment and toxic relationships, beaming with happiness with her new partner, and happily married.
Someone else has a growing business. wow! I never thought there was an entrepreneur in my class. This is awesome.
It is overjoying to see achieving pictures of someone who went through a lot of hardship. It’s engaging to watch someone bring out the talent in them. The beautiful crafts some makes, the beautiful way someone else sings, and how wonderful is it to read some write-ups that are so very thought-provoking and sometimes soothing. I didn’t mean all those accounts that parallely showsoff their lifestyle by being upright and politically correct.
Sometimes I do feel like sharing my happy pictures too. The cute couple pictures that I have in my gallery, those cool pictures of me traveling, my beautiful family, insta genic office.. And more
Wouldn’t there be many happy to see my happy pictures too?
But when I give it some thoughts ..I pull back. Then I remember how some of my friends have told me about how Instagram makes them sick. Feels too left behind in this rate race. How a colleague of mine said that she wants to detox from Instagram because it makes her anxious and that Instagram manipulates her about what she wants in life.
I don’t think it’s a good feeling to have the whole world cracking down on you and just you but the whole world has happy pictures. So let us be kind by posting the pic of every biriyani we eat.
Coz everyone can’t afford biriyani and Gucci every next day. But everyone has a Ghrelin hormone that rises up every time they see a good food picture.
Here are some alarming statistics that show how badly social media has effects on the mental health
- More than 60 % of young girls and 40% of young boys experience negative social comparisons out of social media
- A quarter of those who reported feeling ‘not good enough’ started such feeling nurtured by using Instagram
- 37 % of teen girls say they feel pressured to look body perfectly in their posts according to Instagram and body image statistics.
- More than half of users who do not feel attractive about themselves say such feelings started on Instagram.
- 20 % of people who have at least 1 social media account feel some kind of anxiety that gives them the need to check their account every 1 hour.
Saying alhamdulillah or Masha Allah doesn’t do for the ignorance you have for being ignorant to people who live in a world that’s alien to your privilege.
Now you can argue blatantly that what people need to change is their mindset for feeling not so good as they swipe through their Instagram feed. But dear..ask any friend of yours who has everything going down in their life what they feel about this platform.
Instagram is entertaining when your life is going well. Or you are privileged or have the hope or scope to make things better. But life Is a roller coaster. And your life can always come down. Social media do have a positive effect by contributing to strengthening relationships, social skills development, or just being fun. There is good content on Instagram. But there is no escape from its toxicity as well. You can debate in it all you need. So peace ✌
Misbah Thevarmannil
Misbah Thevarmannil's writing is both tech-savvy and grounded in creativity. She combines a play on words with an encyclopedic knowledge of technical subjects to produce pieces that is clear, concise, and accessible to her audience. Misbah has been at the forefront of technology for years, and she keeps up with software trends from writers, developers, and the like.
