So recently I’ve seen a lot posts from some of my favourite
people to follow about how they are getting less likes and how it’s affecting
their fondness for Instagram. I don’t have many followers on the gram, nor do I
frequently get 100 + likes on my pictures. But I don’t post for those reasons.
I think it’s very easy to get sucked into the hideous world of Instagram
“success”.
People are pouring their creativity, their ambitions and
their time into a platform which has a scientific but baffling algorithm. This
means that sometimes you put out a post that you think is brilliant, yet it may
receive less likes than yesterday’s. This can be demoralising and at times
almost hurtful.
When I feel myself getting sucked into this frame of mind I
think back to why I started this account. I started it to follow interiors. When I got pregnant to find a community with which I could relate to as in my own life I didn't have that circle of 'mummy friends'. This
has evolved to being a photo journal of my life with my family. I hope it’s
something which is around still when Eva is an adult and I can show her the
time we danced together in the living room with flowers in our hair.
For me, when I put a picture up on Instagram it’s because I
really like the picture. The amount of “likes” it receives doesn’t change that.
For me the best bit on Instagram is the engagement with some of the wonderful women
I’ve met through these little squares. I’ve been privileged to be part of a
community which gives fantastic advice, opinions and debate.
It’s given me a community of women who I can identify and
relate to. It’s opened up topics I knew nothing about, like baby loss. It’s
challenged me to think about topics with a different view point and to get out of my comfort zone by going to events and meet ups. It’s given me
confidence to get in front of the camera instead of always behind it. I will always have these photos, I probably won't always have Instagram. Nor will I remember how many 'likes' a picture received. Instead I'll remember how I felt in that moment, that snap shot of time with Eva.
I honestly am so happy every time I get a DM from someone
and I get to have chat with someone. Some days I spend 10 hours with an infant
who’s cute but not so great on the chit chat. So having a quick chat with
another mum can be a little glimmer of humour on a dull day.
The truth is that Instagram is an illusion, smoke and
mirrors hiding the reality of piles of laundry and a dishwasher that
your partner repeatedly fails to empty. We aren’t walking around with bunches
of peonies. Candid snaps laughing in a meadow is taken with a self-timer or a
loyal suffering partner. But we are documenting our memories and building connections
with people across the world, which is actually pretty wonderful. If you are
lucky enough to have followers who are genuine and engaging then really you’ve
hit the Instagram jackpot.
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