I Instagram, Therefore I Am
I’ve been an Instagram user for six years now, and what an #aesthetic six years it has been! Before Instagram, I had to use (*shudders*) Facebook to share moments with my family, friends, and Facebook “friends.” I used to spend 30 minutes uploading a whole album of raw, unedited pictures to Facebook, but with Instagram, I can use that same amount of time towards a more creative process. I get to spend 10 minutes narrowing down my choice to one picture that matches my feed, 20 minutes wondering if I can still get away with using the antiquated Valencia filter, and another 10 agonizing over a caption that’s witty enough to get comments but casual enough that it doesn’t seem like it took me 10 minutes to compose.
Instagram seems to have become the only real way to keep time in our fleeting lives these days. In the olden days, we had clocks and calendars to mark time, but with time stamps, who needs those antiques? We define our time in terms of minutes, hours, or “days ago.” With Instagram, we are time travellers. We can transform our past into the present. Post- ing a picture from the AGO a few weeks ago can make you look like you’re a cultured person who frequents the AGO; no one needs to know you’re having an exceptionally boring weekend. We can live vicariously through our friends, easily access our highlight reel from two years ago, or be prompted to think about future travel plans, all while remaining in the rapidly shifting present. Better yet, we now have Insta stories to experience multiple realities or share those gritty, pretty moments in real time, provided it’s within the socially accept- able length of about ten 10-second story clips.
We all know that if you never Instagrammed it, it never happened. Only in the moment you upload a picture of your important life event to Instagram does it officially become part of the space-time continuum. I made the mistake of not posting a graduation photo, and sure enough, people keep asking me, “Are you done school yet?” Be smart. Don’t be like me. Every moment worth living is a moment worth sharing. Why settle for being fully present in a moment when you can enjoy it forever crystallized as pixels on a screen? As time relentlessly marches on and we long for eternity, sometimes it feels like our only defence is to grasp at these moments and secure them in our personal digital archive. There’s something deeply comforting about being able to pull up those expansive, flaming sunsets from your trip to Jamaica two years ago when it’s minus 20 degrees and you’re curled up in your bed in Toronto.
But truthfully, I can be ambivalent about the value of this app to my life. If you’re planning on using Instagram, you may want to ask: What would I do if I wasn’t Instagramming? If Instagram is an unending source of fitness motivation, travel goals, or art inspiration, amazing! If scrolling through Insta- gram on the streetcar momentarily helps you forget about your TTC rage, then scroll, scroll, scroll away, my friend! But being stuck on page 13 of that C.S. Lewis book you’re reading because you keep reaching for your phone every five minutes? Not so amazing. Sometimes, when time feels more viscous—slower and thicker— we find ourselves impatient for the immediate gratification and blasts of dopamine that Instagram hands to us with every double tap. I can’t help but wonder what that impatience is doing to us.
On the whole, despite my occasional ambivalence, I would recommend Instagram to anyone who would like the ability to both keep and lose time. Sometimes, the opportunity cost of Instagram may feel like it outweighs its promised value, but it’s not all bad news. It can be one of few options for keeping in touch with friends scattered across the globe. It can be a magic carpet ride into many different realities, all while remaining in the present. Ultimately, it is our mini rebellion against the relentless march of time, as we capture special yet fleeting moments for our future selves.
Text: Shannon Chen See
Photography: Luke Cleland