In January I wrote about the ways TikTok has influenced my life and I decided to write about a similar topic today. This time I will discuss all the ways that Instagram has impacted my life. Instead of talking about how Instagram has influenced my lifestyle, I am going to share some ways of how Instagram has influenced and impacted my life as a whole. Instagram has been more prevalent through many years in my life, not only the most recent like TikTok. Hence it has impacted me at various different ages and stages of my life. Instagram has influenced my life in both positive and negative ways, and I continue to use it and probably will for a long time.
Friendships and Relationships
One of the very first ways Instagram ever affected my life was when I used it to make friends and connect with previous friends. I mean that was the whole reason for getting Instagram at the time, to share my life with my friends and keep up with theirs. Instagram has helped me keep many friendships over the years. I am able to still be a part of my friends lives by seeing what they post even if we don't talk that often. I can see their successes and passions just by clicking on their Instagram profile. I love being able to see what my friends and family are up to.
On the flip side of this, Instagram has also played a part in losing friendships. Now, I'm not saying that the whole reason I ever lost a friend is solely because of Instagram, but it did help escalate drama. Since Instagram allows you to share so much of your life if you choose to, it can be used in a way to brag and show off to your followers. I remember a lot of friendships in middle school got ruined because of Instagram drama. Like "so and so hung out with her and posted a pic on Instagram and she was supposed to hang out with me", silly drama like that. We had a platform to share whatever we wanted and everyone who followed us would see it. Instagram also gave a voice to every user by allowing them to comment on people's post and send direct messages to people. This opened up a whole world where people could hide behind a phone screen and feel like they could say whatever they want. Cyber bullying became a problem, and my school took it very seriously. Fortunately, I never had an experienced with cyber bullying, but I know many people were and it has deeply affected them. There will always be people on social media who hate on others, and this can impact people's life in various ways.
Instagram can also impact relationships because of the exposure everyone puts on their relationships on social media. A lot of people (including myself) post their significant other on Instagram because they are a big part of their lives. This allows your relationship to be seen and judged by others which can put a strain on the relationship. Another way Instagram can help impact your relationship is the fact that you can see who your significant other follows and what pictures their liking. This can cause arguments and possibly even cause the relationship to end.
Jobs and Networking
Another way Instagram has influenced my life is with through networking. With Instagram I am able to connect with all sorts of people. This allows me to get my name out there and make connections with people that could help me in my career. The first time I used Instagram to help me network it actually ended up getting me a job. I was in high school and following a girl from my area on Instagram that I did not know that well. She was posting about how she was working as a pool monitor for the summer. I was looking for an easy job I could get with no previous job experience and only for the summer and this was perfect. I reached out to her to see if the company was interested in hiring more people and she gave me all the information and even recommended me for the job! I learned quickly how Instagram could be used to network and possibly even get you a job.
While Instagram can be a great tool to help you network and get a job, it can also eliminate your chances of getting a job. It is important that everyone is aware of what their posting on social media and even what they are liking and commenting on. I have had interviews where they ask for my social media profiles so they can see if what I am posting aligns with their values. Just your Instagram account can make or break you in some positions, so it is important to be careful of your social media presence.
These are a few ways Instagram has helped impact my life in both positive and negative ways. Instagram has the ability to create wonderful, positive friendships that can last forever if you use it the right way. If you use Instagram in a negative way, it will have negative outcomes and impacts on your life.
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