Inauthentic Instagram

Inauthentic Instagram

Image 1: Person taking a selfie. Untitled, Unsplash. Sourced from pixabay.com (through Creative Commons)

Authenticity is a quality that can only be given to something that is truly original. Instagram is definitely not authentic in its posts, from filters to crafted images. But identity and self-hood is still formed on this social network, as “millions of individuals on a daily basis now produce online selves.” (McNeill, 2012).

On Facebook, the authenticity of users is (mostly) assured, but on Instagram, being authentic means something different. Users can add filters to fix flaws in their posts, and crop out scenes that are otherwise not ‘Instagram worthy’. An authentic self is virtually impossible to achieve on Instagram, because everything seems filtered in ‘Moon’ or ‘Amaro’.

To post without a filter is seen as brave (especially regarding selfies), in which you are baring yourself and your flaws to all who can see. I mean personally, I avoid filters because I am flawless… Kidding. I use them too. When that sky looks a little dull in the background, or when my cheeks seem a little puffy, a little hint of the ‘Willow’ filter blends the lighting just right.

In posting those selfies or #relatable holiday pictures, we are creating virtual self-narrative, an identity that is written by you and those who interact with you (Kuttainen, 2016). This autobiography/narrative we create on Instagram is crafted, not authentic. Users, as stated by McNeill (2012), “express their approval of members’ SNS performances, and encourage the production of more material." Through liking a manufactured post, we are validated for our fake lives, and this encourages us to continue the façade.

This formation of self-hood and identity through inauthentic means can be detrimental for our real lives, and nudges us to search for that ‘perfect’ picture to post. Walking around constantly plugging in and crafting the right angle can create a real identity we might not want.

References:

Hooton, C. (2015). Photographer zooms out to show the falsity of Instagram photos. Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/photographer-zooms-out-to-show-the-falsity-of-instagram-photos-10507096.html

Kuttainen, V. (2016). Networked Narratives [PPT.] Retrieved from learnjcu.edu.au

McNeill, L. There Is No “I” in Network: Social Networking Sites and Posthuman Auto/Biography. Project Muse, 35(1) 65-82. Doi: 10.1353

Unsplash. N.D. Untitled. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/selfies-cell-phone-sunny-outdoors-1149816/