With the release of The Social Dilemma, a docudrama on the impacts of social media on humans, the topic of social media and its influence has been increasingly prevalent. We have all become tragically aware of the fact that ad companies are constantly mining our data and buying it from our providers to use for yada yada yada. And yea this is NOT cool. But personally I didn’t feel like I was hearing anything new. Duh they were doing this, and clearly it sucks, but nobody ACTUALLY cares enough to stop. From the standpoint they presented and latched onto about ads, marketing, and selling data I was not convinced that I needed to worry or reconsider my habits. However, there are other reasons that completely convince me most social media apps suck. From lifestyle and body comparison, to being a waste of time, some social media apps have the ability to mess with one’s self image as well as mindlessly waste hours. With that being said I want to introduce to you an app that I did care enough  to stop using about 2 years ago. Instagram. Instagram is in my opinion absolutely the most atrocious and stupid app I have ever come across. And yes I say this with definite anger. It really really irritates me how often people comment on this app affecting them negatively and obviously I’ve not had a positive experience with it. So here is a biased look as to why Instagram is the worst.

When I say I stopped using Instagram consistently I mean I stopped scrolling through it. I still occasionally post so I can have a nice timeline of memorable events. The scrolling though, is the real problem with Instagram. Personally, I found myself to be very frustrated at the fact that celebrities and accounts with the highest following automatically got boosted to the top of my feed rather than being able to see my friends’ content. In my mind Instagram was supposed to be like the new Facebook, a place where we share our opinions and posts to our friends and are able to keep up with each other. But for me and many others this is not what Instagram is. For me, Instagram was having people who I don’t care about at the forefront of my feed even when the post was made days ago. This was something that changed a few years ago. On top of that, the posts that were getting boosted, tending towards celebrities, were images of unrealistic lifestyles and beauty standards that I unconsciously began comparing to my own life. Originally, the timeline was based on just that time, when the posts were made. But this exact situation shows just how much of a sellout Instagram is. Because Instagram makes ad revenue off of these popular accounts posting, they’ve begun to boost these posts, in turn cramming your timeline. Another reason Instagram is the worst is because it’s a SOCIAL MEDIA app that literally turned their notification tool (the most used tool on the app besides the timeline) into an online shopping center. WHAT? This move was the most blatant grab for money and advertising to date on Instagram’s part, further perpetuating the bottomless consumerism that is already a menace to our society. Not only this, but children now are getting social media apps at a much younger age, and this is just another example of how tech companies will use malleable brains to make money.

 Instagram’s explore page is a whole other can of worms. With the development of IGTV (again WHAT?), and the boosting of Instagram comedians, the IG explore page is obnoxious and unrelated to one’s actual taste. Their algorithm or whatever simply doesn’t measure up to that of apps like Tik Tok and Pinterest. Instagram’s explore page tends to be full of things not worth a second look.

Lastly I choose to not use Instagram because I, like many others, can be neurotic and  obsessive. And I know at least some people can relate to this. If I know someone who doesn’t necessarily want to keep me updated with their life or someone who doesn’t even know me~ incessantly scrolling through their Instagram always seems to be the easiest move. And no matter what I go in there for, I usually end up feeling pretty bad after. Instagram provides these glimpses into peoples lives that I personally can go without. Most people who I have good, long lasting relationships with I see enough in person that there’s really no reason for me to have it. If i’m not seeing a person enough for them to tell me what’s going on, looking into a post on social media seems worthless.

So between knowing too much about each other, seeing things you don’t want to see, the blatant consumerism, and so much more Instagram has proved itself time and time again to not only be a waste of everybody’s time but also damaging to our brains!