It doesn’t matter where you are, your live Instagram entertainment is always a scroll away. Providing a window of opportunities for its users, Instagram has been making waves since its debut in October 2010, and its thriving popularity is evident across the globe.
For many Instagram addicts alike, it didn’t happen if you didn’t Instagram it. Here is a fun checklist to identify if you have subconsciously evolved into an Instagram addict.
#1 HIP TO BE SQUARE
Using your mobile phone, you shoot photos in a square frame, making them photo-ready to be shared on Instagram. Even when you capture a photo using a camera, a nagging thought at the back of your mind prompts you to frame a photo and its subject(s) that will look ideal after a squarish crop. The idea of casual photography very much revolves around a square frame.
#2 GOING THE EXTRA MILE
You will do anything to achieve the perfect angle. You have no qualms about removing cutlery from a table, standing on a chair for a vantage point of view, requesting to be seated in a brighter spot at a restaurant or trekking on muddy trail to name a few.
There is no wrong in priding yourself on a good snapshot, but there is certainly no logic in forsaking social etiquettes or being a fuss pot with a list of demands to be met. Suffice to say, our folks knew best whenever they reminded us to “eat while the food is hot”. You might not mind tucking into a bowl of lukewarm lobster bisque, but your friend may think otherwise.
#3 INSTA OCD
Arranging your photo subjects in an orderly fashion is one of the many amusing things that happens behind the scenes. In short, you subscribe to the notion of an organised mess. As oxymoronic as the idea might come across, there is actually a huge following for this trend, based on the increasing number of photos that feature a mishmash of #ootd items or #foodie treats – arranged and styled meticulously to fit nicely into a single frame. There is even a term for this photo-styling trend: Flatlay.
#4 MORE IS LESS
You devote a lot of leisure time and effort to choose the best filter that will make that lone pimple on your face less obvious, or draw attention away from the photo bombers in the background of a photo. If you have a staggering collection of photo-editing applications in your phone but have not found time to explore all of them, you are definitely not alone. Do you remember when was the last occasion you used an Instagram filter?
#5 THE ART OF ANONYMITY
You feel uneasy when you have no access to Instagram because it has become a platform for you to pry into the lives of your friends – both virtual and real-life – and receive live updates without gaining an undesirable reputation as a stalker or a busybody.
Knowing what your friends had for lunch is now part of your daily routine. You feel somewhat smug, while empowered with frivolous knowledge that you’ve gained from your personal inferences, merely from insta-hopping across numerous profiles.
#6 FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT
Although you are not a sweet-toothed person, you know that a beautiful slice of rainbow cake will garner more likes than a classic chocolate fudge cake. Also, pairing it with a caffeine fix that features a fanciful coffee art is the icing to the cake. If you achieve a greater sense of satisfaction from amassing virtual likes than pleasuring your taste buds, you are taking Instagram a tad too seriously.
#7 NUMBERS DON’T LIE
Do you find yourself checking your phone every other minute to find out how many likes you’ve collected with a recent upload, or constantly refreshing your feed for new photo updates?
Other telling signs include deleting photos that have failed to garner a desired amount of likes and maintaining a small following to followers ratio. If the number of likes on your photo hits a double-digit figure, your day is made. If you allow the number of likes to stroke your ego and feed your addiction, you might be taking Instagram a tad too seriously.
#8 THE #HASHTAG EFFECT
When your hash-tagging game is so strong that it requires more time to complete reading your hash tags than the photo caption itself, you might be flouting the “rules”. Hash-tagging was never intended as a tactic to gain likes and followers until Instagram users made it so.
What was meant to forge a closer community among people with shared interests is now used as a means of gaining popularity and flaunting big labels. On the same note, hash-tagging is still a brilliant idea to discover likeminded users who adore a perfectly #poachedeggs for brunch, or share your excitement for #SG50.
#9 WORD FOR WORD
Bearing in mind that hash-tagging can be fun or annoying, it makes a world of difference when you #nofilter on a photo of a breathtaking view or your naked face. The former is used when you want others to know that they’re viewing the raw, unfiltered beauty of Mother Nature, while the latter just makes you appear like a humble braggart. Your words hold value like your images, so it is wise to review them before they go viral.
#10 BLURRED LINES
When you have trouble detaching yourself from Instagram at a work meeting or in a lecture hall, you might need to reevaluate your overly-attached relationship with Instagram. It is a cause for concern if you are unable to be present in a moment when life is happening. Was life before Instagram any less fulfilling?
Also, when you constantly bring your virtual thoughts offline, you might be stepping on the toes of many peers – especially those who are uninterested in Instagram. It will be considerate to spare a thought for your peers who are not keen on hopping on the Instagram bandwagon, lest you bore them with findings from your latest Insta-hopping activities.
One can still yield the benefits of Instagram without being a slave to it. For starters, draw a line when it comes to your sharing privacy because what you fancy letting the world in on might not be what others want to know about you. In addition, limit your Instagram usage and keep your phone out of sight at important social meetings or family gatherings.
Don’t miss the important fleeting moments in life trying to capture an eventual memory. When you offer a piece of your life to the world, remember that you are trading it with a fraction of your life that you will never get back. Instagram can wait, while time waits for no man. Carpe diem!
About the writer:
An impulsive foodie who is in love with the written word, Serene has taken the road less travelled by living out of a suitcase. She embraces the idea of being present in the moment and travels with a spirit of adventure on her globe-trotting journeys, which see her exploring a different city or two in a given week. Track her global footprints in pixels and learn more about thoughts and raves on Instagram.