Instagram is a really cool social media platform. It has a super neat looks, especially after the recent minimalistic redesign, it’s visual, dynamic and it lets you connect with people who have similar interests. It’s also great, because you can actually use it for multiple purposes. Some people turn their profiles into private photo albums, others stick to a central theme, businesses use it to engage their existing and potential customers. The fact that Instagram is so in your face, with single photos taking up nearly the entire screen of your phone, makes it easy for some of the less refined users to quickly become annoying. In this post, I’d like to discuss things you should absolutely avoid if you don’t want to become one of them and be blocked by your friends due your poor etiquette.
The issues discussed below are a bit sensitive, since they often pertain to the feeling of self-worth, which is being consciously tested online by many on a daily basis. Let me stress right away that it’s not my purpose to scorn anyone. In fact, I might’ve been guilty of some of these Instagram crimes myself in the past. I’ve learned though, and you should, too.
As stated before, Instagram is an awesome platform for discovering fresh content that you care about via hashtags, as well as connecting with people that have similar interest and gaining an insight into their lives.
Not everyone is an amazing digital photographer and that’s perfectly fine. This by no means should prevent you from enjoying Instagram. There are certain rules of thumb worth sticking to, though, if you don’t want to come off as a self-absorbed jackass. Read on.
Excessive tagging
I don’t mind people adding 30 tags to a pic (that’s the limit, if you’ll exceed it, the photo will be posted with no tags at all – there, I just saved you some time and nerves) and I often max out myself.
As long as the tags stay relevant, it’s perfectly fine with me – you don’t have read them, after all. It’s annoying though, when you do a hashtag search and the results return photos that are completely unrelated to what you were looking for.
See, some people are so thirsty for likes (the modern day emotional currency), they’ll tag any photo they post on Instagram with some of the most popular tags like #love #instagood or #beautiful even if they’re unrelated.
Another group of Instagram users are the ones who seem unaware of how hashtags actually work. They’ll write a photo caption and tag #every #single #word #in #it Who the heck is browsing tags like #in or #the?! What are they trying to achieve? Is this supposed to be ironic?
Selfie obsession
Alright, so right off the bat, I don’t see anything wrong with an occasional selfie. It may and does get out of hand quickly, though. If you’ve been blessed by your genes and look at least half-decent, you may become addicted to having your good looks reassured by a proper amount of likes.
This doesn’t seem like something anyone should strive for, or force upon others, by no means.
I’ve seen Instagram profiles consisting largely of selfie tiles. Why would I be interested in following someone so self-obsessed?
To me, these are severe cases of attention seeking. It’s begging for that fix of likes to make you feel good about yourself. Sure, we all need to do this from time to time, but is this really how you want to boost your self-worth?
Also, let’s not forget the fact that a lot of these Instagram selfies are taken in a way which is designed to hide flaws – simply put, they’re fake! If you happen to be looking for a date using IG, and why not, I said earlier it’s a multipurpose platform 🙂 you may end up disappointed greatly.
Meal madness
The Gram turned out to be a heaven for all sorts of foodies, food enthusiasts and food connoisseurs – not only does the taste matter, the presentation becomes no less important. And I agree.
The thing is a lot of people are overdoing it. I mean, if I follow you and you hit up a really nice restaurant, sure, do let me know what they have, so that I may visit as well if I like what I see.
But puh-lease, I don’t need to know you’re eating a Big Mac or some homemade #struggleplate (go ahead, look up the hashtag). Some people just don’t know where to stop and seem to post every single thing they ingest to Instagram. #smh
Posting repetitive or corny content
Now, this one’s a bit tricky. Who’s to say how often you can post a certain thing or what makes a photo corny? Yes, people’s levels of patience and tastes vary, but let’s get a couple of things straight.
Selfies are kind of in a class of their own, but pretty much any repetitive content gets on other users nerves. The same ol’ cat pics, dank memes, life advice quotes, all this stuff is super corny and you’re not fooling anyone. If I’ll want something deep, I’ll grab a book and not go to your Instagram page for some quotes.
Another thing is posting 38 photos from your holiday. Cool, we get it, you travelled abroad. Who hasn’t? I’m not trying to spoil your fun, that’s not the type of person I am, but this kind of content gets old really fast, especially if you post some blurry party photos or selfies by the pool.
Trying to be an artist
Let’s be real for a minute – some people have a natural talent for photography, others don’t. If you happen to be in the latter group, which is very probable, don’t try to push too hard by posting ‘artistic’ photos frequently.
The reality is that most people in general lack the aesthetic sense, and that’s perfectly fine, as it isn’t crucial at all in our daily lives.
What I’m asking you for, my fellow Instagram user, is that you don’t bombard us with pics you think are worthy of praise due to their artistic value. Sorry to break it to you, but they’re not all that.
You’ll have to practice a lot before you’ll be able to take decent shots of people, architecture, nature, etc. Thus, please fend of the urge and don’t tap that tick icon every time you take a photo.
Final word on Instagram etiquette
And there you have it – my essential guide to not getting blocked on Instagram, based on my personal posting and years of following others.
Remember, Instagram, or any other social media platform really, isn’t that serious and doesn’t define you. Not everything that happens in your life should find it’s way to other people’s feeds. As with most things in life, moderation is key.
If you found yourself worked up about something I said in this post, good, it may be a sign of you being guilty, but also the first step to becoming a better, less annoying Instagrammer. Follow my suggestions and you won’t see your follower count plummet. Work on your shots, being original and not posting every day to enjoy the platform more.
As always, let me know if you agree or not, what’s your personal experience using The Gram, or whether I’ve missed something by leaving a comment down below or tweeting me @Chatwee
