Instagram Ads

When Instagram first began allowing advertisements on its users' home feeds, it caused me to pause and stare at the photo wondering how I knew the person in the picture. I mean I had to know them if I was following their account. Didn't I? I searched my memory for the place of this strange face, so when I finally felt stumped, I scrolled up to see the username and realized that I didn't know the person at all. A company put that nameless face on my screen.
Sure, the advertisement got me to pause, but it also had other repercussions. I didn't appreciate the feeling that I forgot someone from my past, so I went through and unfollowed all the people I only vaguely knew. That way if in the future I struggled to remember a person on my home feed, I would know it was an advertisement and could just scroll through faster. I became more selective, to cut people out and decide who I didn't really care about, in order to avoid promotions and advertisements.
I don't speak for all users, but allowing advertisements on a user's home feed changed the way I view and use Instagram.

Clowning Around

It...

I still may not know the full premise of the movie, but I know that the picture of a single balloon tied to the grating of a street drain is taking social media by storm. Well, that and It is about clowns. The stunt was cheap but effective at establishing an iconic image for It. Isn't that the key to a horror movie? Giving just enough information to the viewers to make their imaginations run wild. 

After the clown scares last year, some people are saying It is going a bit too far, but killer clowns seem to be the trending topic of the season. American Horror Story has also taken creative liberties, incorporating coulrophobia into its latest season. 

I wonder what will come next.

e-Dating

Tinder. Grinder. Match.com. Dating websites opened up a new etiquette for communication. Within seconds the user can say yes, no, attractive, or not on my level when looking at other user's profiles. These platforms commodified relationships by breaking sexual chemistry down to its most basic level: pure attraction. Let's be honest. The majority of people using these dating platforms are only thinking short term. No one wants to sit down at the family table during Thanksgiving and say, "Oh we met on Tinder. Yeah, I was just swiping through one night and thought to myself 'Yes, this shirtless selfie is a winner. True husband material.'" 

The evolution of dating culture led to changes in attitudes, a greater amount of communication (measured in the number of messages and not the depth of the subject matter), and new vocabulary. The following is a vocabulary lesson for two words used prevalently in today’s modern lexicon (as I understand them).

Ghosting is when a person who has been regularly exchanging messages with another person suddenly cuts all forms of communication. Extreme versions include changing one’s phone number, but typically the one who “ghosts” refuses to respond to texts, calls, or emails without notice or giving a reason for their actions. 

Cushions are relationships that a person keeps on the side in case his or her main relationship falls through. Needing a cushion could stem from the need to appear to be bouncing back from the relationship quicker than the significant other. Another reason for securing a cushion would be the desire to always be looking for something better or the next best thing. The user wants to ensure that they have the best available option on the market.
These platforms have become known as "hookup" apps. However, that doesn't stop certain companies from creating false profiles to advertise their products. Some profiles feature the picture of a famous celebrity and in the bio include a promotion for a product or service. How useful is this method of disruptive advertising? Although I do not have studies to back up my claim, I would say the method do not further a brand's message at all. If anything these false profiles make the brand seem as desperate as people perceive the other users of the app to be. 

The "Privacy" Setting

My generation and on has become so comfortable with media sites that we entrust our secrets to companies that promise to show them, share them, & save them to the internet. It is well known that colleges, organizations, and employers are likely to check in on one's social media accounts before accepting or hiring applicants.

Right now, most children are adept at navigating the ins and outs of a smartphone or smart device before their third birthday, but when I grew up, my mother instilled in me a fear of posting risky pictures or comments on my social media accounts. A fear that I feel she was being responsible by allowing it to take root in my subconscious.

The lesson boiled down to this: "Don't post anything that you wouldn't want your grandmother to see." I laughed at the thought while scrolling through my Facebook feed. My grandmother using social media seemed ridiculous. She doesn't even have WIFI. Spending time on Facebook is now her favorite pastime.

While I still had my impulsive moments, I always had and still currently have an awareness, a voice in the back of my mind, that I think has been lost to the normalization of posting one's entire life on social media.

The introduction of "Privacy" settings on these platforms only further lulled my generation into a false sense of security, and by the time I started applying to college, I learned of various methods to disguise one's digital footprint (well... at least long enough to get in).

Tactics of a Teenager

1. Switch the first letter of your first and last name 

*If you have the same letter for both, choose new letters or proceed to 2.* 

2. Change all accounts to a nickname.

3. Remove all relevant information from your bio.

4. Ensure that every setting is switched to the strictest privacy setting.

5. When in doubt, delete.

This education gave me the insight that there are two types of people willing to post risky material to these platforms and here's the divide: those who aren't fluent enough in technology that they trust the promise of these privacy settings and those who believe they are so fluent that they believe they can outsmart the system.

The latter led to the phenomena in particular that I would like to explore called a "Finsta" account. For those of you who do not know this term, a Finsta (Fake + Instagram) is an additional Instagram account that the user creates in order to post pictures that they definitely would not want their grandmother to see. Usually involving illicit substances, racy activities, or ugly selfies, a Finsta is a seemingly harmless way to accidentally ruin your career. The username is normally a clever contortion of the users name or nickname; the profile picture is either an unidentifiable photo of the user or a random image that the user took or more likely, stole from a quick google search; and the bio portion is filled with an "original" quote or movie reference about regrets and memories or rather lack thereof.

These users think they are safe. These users think their wits exceed that of a techie's, who with just a few keystrokes and minimal information could most likely connect the account to the user. The Finsta almost always follows the users original/ main account, which makes an instant connection to the user's main profile. If the person is very careful, only a few close, trusted friends will follow, and have access to, his or her Finsta account and that can diminish the possibility of the content being released. However, it doesn't eliminate it. One screen shot, one accidental post on the main account, can expose the user to damages.

While I'm skimming over the totality of the issue, the gist of my post is this: the internet is a one-way vault that no singular user has the code to. Watch what you put into it because while you can try and hide it, you can't ever fully get it back.