When was the last time you posted something on Instagram? Perhaps it was a collection of appetizing dishes you tried on vacation. Or photos of a recently completed project. Maybe you shared a mirror selfie or a beautifully arranged bouquet on your balcony at dusk. How did you feel then? Joy, excitement, doubt, or all of the above? One feeling was most likely absent: it’s unlikely you felt it was cool.
Photo: Barbara Probst
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The reality is that very few people today post on Instagram in a way that truly seems cool. I recently tried to reassure a friend who was anxious about sharing her Instagram account with a man she met on a dating app. She worried he would judge her based on her infrequent and not-so-great posts: “What if he doesn’t think I’m cool?”
Instagram is rapidly losing its status as a platform whose presence signifies cultural awareness and good taste. Of course, exceptions still exist. However, young people are increasingly choosing TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat. Meanwhile, Instagram has become much more practical. It’s now primarily used to share updates about events, work, and significant life moments that you don’t want to write about individually to all your friends and acquaintances. These posts no longer carry the same emotional weight that accompanied the first photo collections.
Perhaps today, the only way to remain cool on Instagram is to post nothing at all. “I think real life, rather than social media, makes the strongest impression today,” says digital strategist and content creator Zara McIntosh. “The ability not to depend on social media has a certain status in itself today. We’ve all become accustomed to using Instagram for work, dating, and new opportunities. And for this, you need to constantly stay visible. That’s why a person who doesn’t need to constantly remind others of their presence seems cool.”
Indeed, it sometimes feels like all our profiles have merged into one indistinguishable mass. One profile hardly differs from another. People can easily be categorized into familiar archetypes and then just as easily forgotten amidst the endless stream of advertisements. It’s far more pleasant and interesting to be yourself in real life than to try to attract attention online.
“I think a person can always appear cool, regardless of the place or platform,” says writer and podcast host Biz Sherbert. “I still see posts and people that I like and find interesting. But Instagram posts no longer have the same impact as they did five or ten years ago. Perhaps it’s also because I’ve gotten older. But I clearly remember the times when a new post by Emily Ratajkowski felt like a minor cultural event.”
Along with that carefree era, the very meaning of Instagram posts has changed. An individual post no longer influences pop culture as it once did. Long gone are the days when a celebrity could “break the internet” with a record number of likes, and their new photo truly felt like a significant cultural moment.
At the same time, for many people working in creative industries, Instagram has become a professional showcase. As Zara McIntosh notes, potential employers look not only at your work but also at how you present yourself on social media. Therefore, experienced users take this into account when deciding what to post. But above all, it’s a professional choice. If a post also looks stylish and effortless, it’s more of a fortunate bonus than the main objective.
Even deliberate sincerity on Instagram no longer works as it used to. Users are well aware that behind seemingly casual and unforced posts often lies a careful selection of photos and a desire to make a certain impression. Therefore, such posts no longer particularly surprise anyone.
Some of my friends have deleted all posts from their pages. Now they primarily use Instagram for messaging. They also save restaurant addresses, future travel destinations, and interior design ideas there, which they might revisit someday. Or perhaps not. It’s convenient and practical, but it has nothing to do with the sense of novelty and special status that Instagram once offered its users.
At the same time, using Instagram becomes much easier if you don’t try to impress anyone. You can simply post vacation photos, share fun moments with friends, and maintain a private profile for close ones. Then Instagram starts to resemble Facebook: an ordinary place for personal news and pictures.
Perhaps this signifies the end of the era of “cool” posts. But it seems like this kind of change is something to be accepted with relief. We’ve seen too many similar photos, carefully crafted images, and attempts at appearing effortless. Now, it hardly matters to anyone. And perhaps, that’s for the best.
Based on material from vogue.co.uk