Abstract:
In this conference paper, we will discuss the modern era of social media, and where do we draw the line. Nowadays, social media is such a complex and multifaceted place that we get lost in this world of idealization to fake ourselves with filters and lies. The modern issue of social media is about how people perceive it through different aspects based on judgment as well as its negative impact and how it could affect the user over time. How over time, social media users being to lose themselves in this game of personification and being someone they are not just to please others. Throughout this paper, we will discuss and explore the deep rabbit hole which is about how authentic we are in this digital reality of Instagram and to what extent is it real or ideal?
Instagram and its ideal life representation
First of all, we need to get an idea of what is Instagram as a social media platform and its goal. Instagram is an online platform owned by Meta which provides its users with multiple affordances such as sharing photos, videos, and Instagram stories with their followers. Since its introduction according to (Statista, 2018), Instagram has grown in followers with billion users as it was a game-changing for sharing visual content with others. It was such a success that we started to question the authenticity of its users and their content. With Instagram, users were allowed to present themselves online and control any aspect of how they would represent themselves to their followers and other users through visual content and messages. With Instagram, users were able to share their daily life routine through different visual content like videos, photos, stories, and based on those criteria, they would then get likes and comment about their posts. Therefore, Instagram gave birth to this complex and multifaced platform where users would create two different personas where they would impersonate what they want you to see and what they don’t. Instagrammers devote their time and energy to creating the perfect illusion of themselves which they desire so much to keep their identities separate from different audiences according to (Frederic Stutzman and Woodrow Hartzog, 2012). It also created this overuse and addictive aspect of always being connected to their screen and sharing their life as a feeling of seeking for attention. They would make use of the affordance provided by Instagram to create their own idealized image with images of themselves which they would cover up with filters and hide their imperfection. With Instagrammers making use of two accounts, we begin to question why they needed two different accounts, the purpose of it, and which one is the real and fake account. The motivation for such action is due to the fact of being accepted by others and self-representation. Without such affordance, we might live in a world where we could be more authentic without any use of filters and hide our imperfections but instead embrace ourselves for who we are. Nowadays, people cannot fully express themselves since they need to be mindful of their diverse, beliefs, distinct social groups as well and standards as they might be judged. This is why Instagrammers are now creating two different accounts, one where they can be themselves and the other one being represented based on their idealized vision of perfection toward others’ perspectives.
What is a Finsta and Rinsta ?
On Instagram, some users would make use of two different accounts which would be a real Instagram account also known as Rinsta, and another one which would be the fake Instagram account known as Finsta. Different aspects of the user’s personality where one would expose everything they want others to see such as on Finsta, the user would share content related to their perfect daily life with images of what they consume, activities, and hobbies as a healthy lifestyle. A perfect normal life without a struggle with life, work, and their surroundings. Whereas, Rinsta is more about the hidden aspect that users don’t want everyone to see as it reflects the true personality and lifestyle of the user from their daily life with their friends, how they really are liked, their struggle in life, passion, and true self. Compared to Finsta, Rinsta focuses more on the free aspect of showing want they want others to see them with the use of different affordances provided to them such as editing and photomanipulation which are affordances provided by Instagram. Such tools enable the user to change the visual aspect of themselves, their surroundings, and its atmosphere to create the perfect unreal world of illusion. Whereas Finsta is more about sharing content on an account that shows their imperfection, unattractiveness, humiliation, and embarrassing themselves (Molina, 2017). The reason why users don’t worry too much about what they post on their Finsta account is because they want others to see them in that particular way as it is their true self and part of their followers know them. There is no need for clever captions or making use of filters to create the ideal photo. As for Rinsta, the user does care about what they would post as they want to be seen based on a specific persona they created. Therefore, any content or comment they would post would have to be carefully taken into consideration as they would be judged and this might affect the way others see them. Finsta and Rinsta also have different audiences in which they are surrounded such as Rinsta would be surrounded with a general audience more specifically strangers whereas Finsta is surrounded by friends and families who are closer to the user and part of their life. This would therefore help avoid offending anyone from their friend list as their Finsta or vanilla self according to (Chua and Chang, 2016) as their Finsta account is more conservative and staid which can be accepted by their social group.
Why so much effort and overly meticulous time to create the perfect image ?
But why such multifaceted, complex, and self-expression? Since social media reflects the aspect of belonging somewhere, it is crucial to be self-presented as users share photos on social media to be part of something such as a community, group, or part of something they want to integrate. Therefore, this is where creating an ideal image begins to influence users as not being part of a group would be devasting to them. According to studies by (Malik, A., Dhir, A., & Nieminen, M, 2016), users share photos on social media to seek affection and attention due to loneliness therefore sharing content about themselves to be part of a group. Since many people suffer from loneliness and insufficient interaction with others, this has created an emotional loneliness where users need comfort and meeting with others. This is why many users create Rinsta as they would be able to share and interact with others as they wouldn’t be judged by the personification of their perfect life but instead would be welcomed which fulfills their needs especially the lack of intimacy and interaction. Over time, this would work until the user would feel that feeling of not belonging to this place as they cannot be their true self. This is where Finsta would take place and fulfill the other missing part of the user which is being themselves with others as Rinsta prevents them from sharing their true personality but they would be judged by any mistakes they would make whereas with a Finsta account, they would be free to be themselves and not be judge for truly what they are. This is where Finsta and Rinsta would enter into a conflict of self belonging either being ourselves or being someone we are not but what people want us to be. As such, this would impact the users as they would have to choose between being part of Finsta or Rinsta. Finsta would provide them a safe place for them to be authentic, express themselves, share personal thoughts and struggles as well as connect with others but on the other hand this would create multiple issues related to trust and self-esteem. For example, since Finsta is more open to others, it increases vulnerability as the user would share their struggle and weakness which could connect them with friends but on the other side lead to potential judgement and criticism which might affect the user either positively or negatively. Another risk with Finsta is trust from other followers as the user is at risk of screenshots and sharing of personal content without any permission resulting in a toxic relationship potentially harming the user’s mental health if ever exposed. As for Rinsta, it can be unhealthy over time as users are always pressured to maintain the perfect image and persona on their Rinsta account. This could lead to an unhealthy lifestyle causing mental health issues such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression as they cannot be themselves or they would be judged which could be addictive over time. Creating a Rinsta account might also lead to seeking for attention and perfection through likes, comments, and followers to boost their confidence which could create a dependency and negative self-perception. Based on (Jin Kang and Lewen Wei, 2018) studies, it has been found that users are more comfortable sharing content on their Rinsta than on their Finsta as they are freer to post their content with minor changes and improvements than Finsta as they were judged too much on their secondary account and feel like their is no use of being themselves as both scenarios they would be judged.
Conclusion
To wrap up everything, either being a Finsta or Rinsta doesn’t change the fact that we are authentic or not as people nowadays take into consideration how they look like and are perceived by others resulting into a conflict inside ourselves. We could be ourselves and share our true self to other but at what cost would it have an impact on others and on ourselves. How would they perceived us and judge us as nowadays? We could be authentic but at our own risk of being judged by others. The question is not about being authentic in the digital realm of Instagram but instead how much would you be yourself on Instagram so that others accept you the way you are and not the way they want you to be seen. In the end, the challenge is not about achieving perfection but instead embracing our imperfections and weaknesses as part of our humanity so that we can connect with others and find comfort in the digital realm of social media platforms. From my point of view, just be yourself and don’t become what others want you to be based on any judgment as over time, this will mentally affect you not being yourself but instead impersonating someone you are not leading to a loss of identity and true self. To conclude this conference, either real or ideal, we live in a world where we are scared of what others might think of us and this needs to change.
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READINGS:
Jin Kang & Lewen Wei. 2020. Let me be at my funniest: Instagram users’motivations for using Finsta (a.k.a., fake Instagram), The Social Science Journal, 57:1, 58-71, DOI: 10.1016/j.soscij.2018.12.005
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