It’s Time to Delete Your Finsta, Babe.
Image Courtesy: Pinterest
If you were like me, you were a part of the spam community on Instagram. Finstas, or “fake instas,” were a more intimate and carefree Instagram account, usually only followed by the user’s closest friends. Posts would include silly pictures, thirst traps, memes, literally anything you wouldn’t post on your main account. However, spam accounts also had the potential to become harmful due to the amount of drama they caused. Eventually, their popularity fell off, and spam account activity declined with the rise of “casual insta.”
The term “casual insta” refers to posting whatever you want on your main account, thus making posts casual. This shift in social media became popular around 2020, thanks to no other than TikTok users stating, “This is your sign to post what makes you happy on your Insta.” Such encouragement quickly became popular and influenced many to do just that. While this may seem obvious, it takes away from the pressure of how many likes your post will get.
Not too long ago, Instagram made the option of hiding likes available to users. You can now hide the number of likes your posts get, and you can also hide seeing how many likes other users get on their posts. Alleviating pressure to people-please on social media, Instagram is migrating back towards its true purpose of posting what makes the individual happy, and it’s nice that we’re straying away from toxicity.
These pressures came from influencers and models, as their vast followings imposed much influence, probably even on our younger selves. Many people I know have struggled with body dysmorphia and eating disorders because they didn’t look like a KarJenner or other Instagram models. These expectations make Instagram dangerous, especially for young girls, while also influencing the male beauty standard—but that’s a conversation for another day.
Along with hiding likes, the casual insta diminishes the pressures of social media even more. As apparent it may seem, posting what you want and what makes you happy provides a much more enjoyable social media experience. You don’t spend as much time worrying about the perfect post; you just post a collection of your fav flicks and move on.
One thing that comes with the casual insta includes the “photo dump.” We’re all familiar with it. Essentially, you post recent pictures of what you’ve been doing, what you’ve been wearing, what you’ve been eating, who you’ve been with, and where you’ve been. It sounds simple, but the photo dump has become an art form usually including several photos, typically all fitting the same aesthetic and color vibe. This promotes casual insta, but it also spices up your Instagram feed with the minimal added pressure in getting a perfect post.
Instagram is slowly going back to how it was meant to be used, which is somewhat comforting. We’re straying away from the toxicity that we once subconsciously consumed and are using the app for its true purpose—to show others the things that make us happy.
Strike Out,
Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret
Boca Raton
Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine FAU. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to sad music, doing some retail therapy, and eating pasta. You can reach her at emily.fiorini710@gmail.com
