In light of Instagram removing likes from the app, I thought I would take the time to analyze the social implications of influencer culture on our society.

The word influencer is a word that has emerged in the past decade to describe someone with a following on Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, etc. To be 100% honest, I think the word influencer is a little creepy sounding. The term is strange to me because sounds like the people who follow influencers are being brainwashed or something and I don’t believe that’s the case.

I think this term has begun to replace blogger, instagrammer, and youtuber because so many people spread their content across so many platforms. Another term I’ve heard to describe influencers is content creators. While this term doesn’t sound creepy like the word influencer does, this term seems slightly more vague. 

With the rise of Instagram, there also seems to be a rise of depression and anxiety related to social media use. In my first semester of college, I wrote a whole paper analyzing the effects Instagram had on the body image of young women. From the studies I read, one of the most harmful effects of Instagram is comparison.

I definitely compare myself to others on Instagram. I don’t compare my life itself to others, but I will compare my photo quality and numbers. When I see other accounts racking up likes with a similar amount of followers, I can’t help but think, what am I doing wrong? Is my work not good enough?

Overall, I think I’ll enjoy not being able to see likes anymore because I can really drive myself crazy with the comparison spiral. Instagram is about sharing creative work and nothing kills creativity like comparison. 

Pictures on Instagram are curated to perfection which makes the lives of influencers look like they’re perfect. We do get glimpses of their real life on stories, but no one shares the shitty things going on in their life. I’ve seen lots of complaints that influencers don’t share their real life, but honestly, I think that’s how it should be. It is our responsibility as consumers to know that Instagram is not an accurate representation of real life.

As an introvert, there are just some things that are too personal or special to share on social media. I think intimate moments with our partner, family struggles, and other personal moments should remain private, especially since influencing is a business. I don’t believe that influencers have a responsibility to share their real life. You don’t see the “real life” of your friends on Instagram, why should influencers have to share the most personal details of their life to thousands of people they’ve never met?

There was another recent study performed that actually showed when you interact with others on Instagram instead of just mindlessly scrolling when you’re bored, users can actually have a really great experience using the app. In the past year, I’ve found some other bloggers that I really enjoy messaging with. Even though I’ve never met them in person, there’s something fun about having an online pen pal.

I love it when influencers write meaningful, thoughtful captions. Obviously, Instagram is about the pictures, but there’s something inspiring to me about someone taking the time to write out meaningful content. When I see influencers post meaningless captions regularly, Instagram feels empty to me.

I also struggle when I personally write out a thoughtful caption or blog post and others comment just to get traffic to their own page. I don’t think it’s wrong to try to attract traffic to your page (I do it too), but it just feels really impersonal when people don’t even take the time to read and just comment “omg so cute!” when I write a post about struggling with anxiety.

We have the opportunity to make these social media platforms a more meaningful place that isn’t just about likes and followers. 

Here are some ways we can improve Instagram:

-Write out meaningful captions

-Produce content that you’re inspired by instead of posting popular pictures just for the likes

-When you’re trying to draw more traffic to your page, read the caption before you comment so you can make a meaningful connection with another creator

-Share whatever you’re comfortable with. If you want to share your stretch marks, mental health, etc. it’s completely up to you.

-Share behind the scenes or pics gone wrong. I want to do this more often to show that the perfectly edited image is not how my life actually is.

-Lastly, stop caring about the numbers. How would your content really change if you had more followers? If you inspire just ONE person to pick up a new hobby, go to the gym, etc. that is more meaningful than a higher follower count

I would love to continue analyzing influencer culture and its economic and environmental implications in the future. What are some things that bother you about Instagram or influencers and how do you think we can change it?