I never understood the point of Instagram. With the constant spew of social media, I was surprised to see Instagram stick. Photos can be sent out on Twitter. Pictures accompanied by a monologue can be taken to Facebook. Instagram is redundant to me. You can already do these things on other services, what difference does an artsy filter make? What is the point of Instagram?
I held off making an account for years. I still don’t really see the point of it. It is fun; the filters make me feel “hip and happenin’” and it’s nice to scroll through every once in a while to see how artsy my friends are. But as an app, it’s pretty restricting. My biggest issue is that you don’t get a lot of options with picture size and shape. It only lets you post in certain sizes, so you have to zoom in and add borders or else Instagram crops and compresses it automatically. It’s a total pain. I have a vision for a post, but I can’t capitalize on it.
Anyway, I shouldn’t be complaining, it’s inspiring people to be creative and look at the world in a different way. There’s nothing wrong with that.
So if I don’t really like it, why did I make one?
Instagram is my New Year’s Resolution for 2017. It sounds like a horrible one. Some people go to the gym more or become vegetarians... I post pictures on the internet. What a great way to turn a new leaf. But I can explain! Instagram isn’t a form of social media for me, or a way to see what my friends are doing. I have Facebook and Twitter for that. For me, Instagram is my own personal photo album.
2017 was and still is a big year for me. I got my first “adult job,” moved out of my parent’s house to my own apartment in a different state. I started hanging out with friends more, joined new community groups. 2017 is a year of important firsts; I’m finally acting like the millennial twenty-something I am. I wanted to have a fun way to record my new, adventurous adult life. Pics or it didn’t happen.
More than half way through the year I have 67 posts. Maybe I’m having a bit too much fun with it…that seems like a lot. But there’s no harm in it, right? I record concerts and weddings, holidays and birthdays. Some business trips and some anime marathons, just to even everything out. At the end of the year, I want to look back at all my posts and appreciate everything in my life. It’s an easy way to remember all my experiences and see the places I've been. I've never been good with New Year's Resolutions; hopefully this will be a good way for me to reflect on 2017 and put things in perspective for the next year to come.
Instagram is a bit annoying and a little too hipster for my taste. But it’s making me grateful for the crazy life I have. And at the end of the day, getting the perfect #nofilter picture is a pretty amazing feeling.
If you're bored, follow me at @moveslikeawad. It's definitely an eclectic feed.