Confessions of an Instagram Blogger, “It-Girls” & The Reality Behind It

After enduring a long and arduous period of struggle, I reached a breaking point. I gradually found myself unknowingly assimilating into the very lifestyle I had criticized. It reminded me of that iconic scene from Mean Girls, where Janis says, “Hey, buddy, you’re not pretending anymore. You’re plastic. Cold, shiny, hard plastic.” I began to feel the same way about myself. Why was I exerting so much effort to please people I didn’t even know? Why was I striving to be liked and fit into the superficial world of Instagram? It was then that I made the decision to distance myself from it all. I stopped attending events, halted the constant liking and commenting on others’ posts, and simply quit. The overwhelming nature of the Instagram lifestyle had taken a toll on me, transforming excitement into stress.

Soon enough, I realized that these “Instagram” people viewed my actions as shady. Just because I didn’t like their pictures, I became labeled as such. I had no idea that being someone’s friend meant I had to like every single one of their Instagram posts. With a full-time job, freelance work, part-time night school, and real-life responsibilities, I barely had time for anything else. Opening Instagram became solely for uploading my own content, just enough to maintain a presence on the platform.

It was during this realization that I understood no one in that world genuinely cared about me. Did any of them inquire about my work troubles or how I was doing in school? Did they show concern for my family or offer support to improve my life? Absolutely not. Their interest was solely focused on the Instagram version of me. They cared about popularity, invitations, makeup, and photoshoots, rather than my personality, charisma, and dignity.

At that moment, I realized I had lost sight of my individuality. I was the kind of person who cherished deep and meaningful relationships with friends, treating them as close as family. Substance and personal growth were important to me, aspects of myself that I had forgotten. I was wasting my time on a lifestyle that wouldn’t lead me anywhere substantial. It lacked stability, only offering me side income rather than a sustainable livelihood. It wouldn’t make me a better person. Driven by ambition, I made the decision to return to school and pursue a career as a Full Stack Web Developer. It dawned on me that if I channeled the same effort into learning a new skill, I would gain so much more than shallow collaborations and parties. I felt immense shame for the person I had become, realizing that I was worth so much more than being excited over a $200 product collaboration. I was smarter and more valuable than that. I had become so consumed by a world where my happiness was tied to the fleeting satisfaction of receiving free makeup worth $200, products that would eventually end up in the trash. After much contemplation on how to change, I finally tapped into a long-forgotten part of my soul.

In conclusion, it is vital to recognize that the ease with which some individuals approach blogging often stems from a place of vanity and self-absorption. While it is true that a subset of bloggers may engage in shallow practices, it would be unfair to generalize and assume that all bloggers are alike based on the actions of a few. 

“If anything is that easy to an individual, it is most likely that they are vain or self-absorbed people. The type of bloggers that just sit around taking selfies and photos of food they aren’t going to eat. Yes, there are some bloggers that do this, but you can’t paint a picture that all bloggers are the same because of a few that act or behave a certain way. ” – JessAnnKirby.com 

Going forward I want to passionately advocate for reclaiming the true essence of the term “blogger” and restoring justice to its meaning. By embracing authenticity and challenging stereotypes, we can redefine the blogging landscape and ensure that genuine voices and meaningful content prevail.