When was the last time you posted on Instagram? Perhaps it was a collection of mouth-watering dishes you tried on vacation. Or photos of a recently completed project. Maybe you posted a mirror selfie or a beautifully arranged bouquet on your balcony at dusk. What were you feeling then? Joy, excitement, doubt, or all of the above? One feeling was most likely absent: it’s unlikely you thought it was cool.
Photo: Barbara Probst
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The fact is, very few people these days have Instagram posts that truly come across as cool. I recently tried to console a friend who was anxious about sharing her Instagram account with a guy she met on a dating app. She feared 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 where presence signifies cultural awareness and good taste. Of course, exceptions still exist. However, young people are increasingly opting for TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat. Instagram, meanwhile, has become much more practical. It’s now primarily used for announcing events, work updates, and important life moments that you don’t want to detail in separate messages to all your friends and acquaintances. These posts no longer carry the same emotional weight as the early photo collections.
Perhaps today, the only way to remain cool on Instagram is to post nothing at all. “I feel that 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 itself carries a certain status now. We’ve all become accustomed to using Instagram for work, dating, and new opportunities. And for that, you need to constantly stay visible. That’s why a person who doesn’t need to constantly remind others of their existence seems cool.”
Indeed, it sometimes feels like all our profiles have merged into one faceless mass. One profile hardly differs from another. People are easily 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 seem 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 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 photograph was truly considered 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 not only look at your work but also at how you present yourself on social media. Therefore, experienced users consider this when deciding what to publish. But above all, it’s a professional choice. If a post also looks stylish and effortless, it’s more of a happy bonus than the main goal.
Even deliberate sincerity on Instagram no longer works as it used to. Users are well aware that behind seemingly candid and effortless posts, there’s often a careful selection of photos and a desire to make a certain impression. Therefore, such posts no longer surprise anyone particularly.
Some of my friends have deleted all posts from their pages altogether. Now they use Instagram mainly 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’re not trying to impress anyone. You can simply post vacation photos, share fun moments with friends, and maintain a private profile for close people. Then, Instagram starts to resemble Facebook: a commonplace for personal news and photos.
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 already seen too many identical photos, curated looks, and attempts at appearing effortless. Now, it hardly concerns anyone. And perhaps, that’s even for the best.
Based on material from vogue.co.uk