The psychology of instagram

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Was talking about this with my husband this morning and wondered others thoughts, I have dabbled with posting on Instagram but am far more of a scroller than a poster, I’m just not about that talking pictures of my food outside whilst it gets cold life. To have a public page where you post regularly with long captions you have got to be fundamentally narcissistic right? Do you think serial instagrammers are psychologically different or are they just hoping to monetise? Maybe it’s both!
 
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I absolutely hate the new instagram culture now and especially scary for younger kids/teens. I have it, but dont see it as real life and can see through 99% of posts as being pretentious and fake. People are just honestly forgetting it's an app, it's not real life and it doesnt do your soul any good deep down I think 🤦🏼‍♀️
 
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I was reading the captions of a annoying slimming world instagrammed earlier and was just wondering what goes through peoples heads when they write them.... they are often doing boring mundane tit yet write long winded captions like they are addressing their adoring fans.... why is that? How many followers does it take before you start thinking like that? How much time out of their day much it take? Especially those who proclaim to be mother of the year, they must be constantly on their phones and ignoring their children.

surely you must be a massive narcissist to start with to assume that people want to read about this tit!
 
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Yeah so true. I think all instagram users are guilty of only posting the good bits (me included - I sometimes travel abroad for work so post some great pictures and makes it look amazing but in reality I've had 2 hours sleep, cried all day and had about 5 minutes to actually take in the sights etc) BUT I've got a friend who posts pictures of her little boy and makes it look a great family life when she spends most of the time trying to get a babysitter so she can go out and shouting at him. I am conscious to not post any long, self indulgent captions or quotes as if anyone gives a tit and i dont believe in sharing my inner thoughts or opinions really as i dont think anyone really cares or should. I just think it's fake bullshit i always want to delete but feel I'd not be as in the loop with close friends/family. Also the face filters are just a new level of fakery🤦🏼‍♀️ shouldn't have got started on this topic 😂
 
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I see people posting a bottle of the latest cleaning phenomenon..🙄 and getting 200 likes, it's a bottle of flash ffs! It's all false. I post every few days but I have gone weeks. I mean you can buy followers, likes and comments. Why? The more someone insinuates their life is perfect I believe the opposite to be true.
 
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I haven't had social media for over 2 years. I found on instagram people can be fake and it's no reflection on real life. You can post what you want people to see. In many ways instagram can be positive but other ways it can harm people.
 
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Was talking about this with my husband this morning and wondered others thoughts, I have dabbled with posting on Instagram but am far more of a scroller than a poster, I’m just not about that talking pictures of my food outside whilst it gets cold life. To have a public page where you post regularly with long captions you have got to be fundamentally narcissistic right? Do you think serial instagrammers are psychologically different or are they just hoping to monetise? Maybe it’s both!
Most of the serial Ones I follow or ‘followed’ seem narcissistic, greedy,vain,lazy,self centred ,dishonest and unorganised .. but seem to be making a bloody fortune out of it .. TBH they think that is ( followers) couldn’t survive a day without knowing what they are up to !!!! I avoid IG pic perfect places now cos it’s spoilt by these vain creatures posing and preening moving chairs and items so they can get their handbag in the picture and taking pics whilst their dinner is getting cold !!! Worst still is then they all sit and ignore each other cos they’re looking at their phones 😂😂😂
 
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I had a decent following a couple of years back and the pressure to post and the constant need for validation were a contributing factor to me having a mental breakdown. My mental health was tit and I spent a huge amount of time trying to hide it in real life and Instagram allowed me to take that facade even further. In the end I was posting 3/4 times a day and felt pressure to be doing aspirational things, pointlessly spending money and being the perfect wife/mother/friend when in reality I was balls deep in a mental health crisis and wasn’t even looking after myself never mind anything or anyone else. It makes me feel like tit thinking about it now because people would have looked at my account and thought I was super happy with a great life.

I barely post on Instagram anymore, have lost a large number of followers and am far happier than I was then. It’s a fucked up place, especially for those that are already emotionally or mentally vulnerable and it’s been a long road to recovery for me which isn’t helped by the amount of people posting their “perfect” lives online.
 
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I had a decent following a couple of years back and the pressure to post and the constant need for validation were a contributing factor to me having a mental breakdown. My mental health was tit and I spent a huge amount of time trying to hide it in real life and Instagram allowed me to take that facade even further. In the end I was posting 3/4 times a day and felt pressure to be doing aspirational things, pointlessly spending money and being the perfect wife/mother/friend when in reality I was balls deep in a mental health crisis and wasn’t even looking after myself never mind anything or anyone else. It makes me feel like tit thinking about it now because people would have looked at my account and thought I was super happy with a great life.

I barely post on Instagram anymore, have lost a large number of followers and am far happier than I was then. It’s a fucked up place, especially for those that are already emotionally or mentally vulnerable and it’s been a long road to recovery for me which isn’t helped by the amount of people posting their “perfect” lives online.
ooh, trying to think about who you might be... I’ve got a few ideas! I think it’s so true that the more people try to portray perfection the less likely they are happy and satisfied with their lives
 
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I had a decent following a couple of years back and the pressure to post and the constant need for validation were a contributing factor to me having a mental breakdown. My mental health was tit and I spent a huge amount of time trying to hide it in real life and Instagram allowed me to take that facade even further. In the end I was posting 3/4 times a day and felt pressure to be doing aspirational things, pointlessly spending money and being the perfect wife/mother/friend when in reality I was balls deep in a mental health crisis and wasn’t even looking after myself never mind anything or anyone else. It makes me feel like tit thinking about it now because people would have looked at my account and thought I was super happy with a great life.

I barely post on Instagram anymore, have lost a large number of followers and am far happier than I was then. It’s a fucked up place, especially for those that are already emotionally or mentally vulnerable and it’s been a long road to recovery for me which isn’t helped by the amount of people posting their “perfect” lives onlin
@TheWitchIsBack I’ve often wondered about this because some of the people On there often admit to mental health issues but still put themselves out there . You’ve explained a lot in your honest post .. I can only imagine that when the ‘good times‘ are rolling it must be bloody amazing to have all these brands pushing stuff on you and inviting you to wonderful places and paying you .. but then you must be selling your soul until the next big collab comes along ... ££££ I think they live in this unreal world were everyone constantly praises them ... it’s Unhealthy life isn’t like that !
I COULD understand / believe it more if let’s say they wear a shite outfit / share a shite prog and their followers post negative comments and the IG’r held their hands up and said ‘ oops that didn’t go down well ‘ but they don’t .. they delete the comments and block the follower meanwhile adding to their anxiety and its as you’ve just said it’s that ‘constant need for validation’
But still it continues .. ££££££ speaks several languages
 
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My account started as a weight loss account. It wasn’t massive but I was popular and got shout outs from some of the bigger SW accounts. Had a few freebies but nothing earth shattering. Spent more money on shite trying to keep up appearances than I ever get back in free stuff. I can’t obviously speak for everyone but it’s very competitive and pressured and it’s like trying to fit in with the mean girls at school I guess. I would be so envious of people who got more likes/comments than I did. I stopped posting regularly before stories really took off and I’m glad because I think if I’d have kept going I’d have ended up just talking absolute nonsense into stories for hours at a time and probably becoming more obsessed with it than I already was. My life is by no means perfect now but I have a good grip on reality and what’s important in life and things are no longer dictated by an app.
 
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My account started as a weight loss account. It wasn’t massive but I was popular and got shout outs from some of the bigger SW accounts. Had a few freebies but nothing earth shattering. Spent more money on shite trying to keep up appearances than I ever get back in free stuff. I can’t obviously speak for everyone but it’s very competitive and pressured and it’s like trying to fit in with the mean girls at school I guess. I would be so envious of people who got more likes/comments than I did. I stopped posting regularly before stories really took off and I’m glad because I think if I’d have kept going I’d have ended up just talking absolute nonsense into stories for hours at a time and probably becoming more obsessed with it than I already was. My life is by no means perfect now but I have a good grip on reality and what’s important in life and things are no longer dictated by an app.
Glad you are happier, and in touch with reality, and I hope your mental health is all good now 😘 I think the psychology of SM is quite fascinating. Would be a fascinating subject to study in great depth at uni now.
 
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I had a decent following a couple of years back and the pressure to post and the constant need for validation were a contributing factor to me having a mental breakdown. My mental health was tit and I spent a huge amount of time trying to hide it in real life and Instagram allowed me to take that facade even further. In the end I was posting 3/4 times a day and felt pressure to be doing aspirational things, pointlessly spending money and being the perfect wife/mother/friend when in reality I was balls deep in a mental health crisis and wasn’t even looking after myself never mind anything or anyone else. It makes me feel like tit thinking about it now because people would have looked at my account and thought I was super happy with a great life.

I barely post on Instagram anymore, have lost a large number of followers and am far happier than I was then. It’s a fucked up place, especially for those that are already emotionally or mentally vulnerable and it’s been a long road to recovery for me which isn’t helped by the amount of people posting their “perfect” lives online.
This is such an honest post ❤ and everything you've said is the reason I dread my kids ending up on social media 😭

Hope you're doing better now xx
 
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I'm on holidays at the minute...followed the hotels Instagram and hashtag before flying out. Boy was I disappointed. Its nothing like the pics. A lot smaller too. If a building can be portrayed so different makes you think about the lives people portray.
 
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Glad you are happier, and in touch with reality, and I hope your mental health is all good now 😘 I think the psychology of SM is quite fascinating. Would be a fascinating subject to study in great depth at uni now.

This is such an honest post ❤ and everything you've said is the reason I dread my kids ending up on social media 😭

Hope you're doing better now xx
Thank you. I’m doing tonnes better and sites like this really help me pick apart the “perfect” bigger accounts that I was so desperate to be. It’s crazy how all consuming it becomes, it literally took over my life.
 
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Glad you are happier, and in touch with reality, and I hope your mental health is all good now 😘 I think the psychology of SM is quite fascinating. Would be a fascinating subject to study in great depth at uni now.
I did a paychology degree all be it a few years back now. One of my lecturers specialised in the psychology of fame and celebrity and did a lot of work with wannabe big brother contestants as it was in its very early stages. Would love to know what she made of all of this. My dissertation was about body image and media, unfortunately Instagram wasn’t a thing then........ would love to do it again now!
 
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My account started as a weight loss account. It wasn’t massive but I was popular and got shout outs from some of the bigger SW accounts. Had a few freebies but nothing earth shattering. Spent more money on shite trying to keep up appearances than I ever get back in free stuff. I can’t obviously speak for everyone but it’s very competitive and pressured and it’s like trying to fit in with the mean girls at school I guess. I would be so envious of people who got more likes/comments than I did. I stopped posting regularly before stories really took off and I’m glad because I think if I’d have kept going I’d have ended up just talking absolute nonsense into stories for hours at a time and probably becoming more obsessed with it than I already was. My life is by no means perfect now but I have a good grip on reality and what’s important in life and things are no longer dictated by an app.
So true - social media can be so addictive. I’m glad you are ok - it can really affect people’s mental health so badly x
 
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I ended up coming off insta because I got fed up of all the fakeness, and I included friends' profiles in that. I set up a separate account so I could continue to follow my favourite music artists but that's it. I don't post anything myself and I don't follow any influencers either. It's all such a load of tit.

I think it's sad that kids these days live for likes and comments. But I think back to the mid to late 90s when the internet took off and I was at school (giving away my age now), and I remember the first time using a chat room. The buzz me and my friends got from chatting to other people anywhere in the world was kinda addictive. We wanted to be in the school library on the internet every day. I suspect that same feeling is what kids get today on insta, desperate for likes, comments and acceptance from other people, particularly celebs or influencers they follow. I'm old and wise to it now, but I can see the pull that it has for teens and kids, and I worry for my own kids when they reach that age of where they want a phone and to be on social media.

Personally, and as ironic as this sounds considering Tattle is a form of social media, I think social media is the bane of modern society. It's created a world where everything is fake, people are more obsessed with their appearance than ever before. It does have its benefits such as gives exposure to charity causes etc but for me the negatives far outweigh the positives
 
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Something I've found with these Instagrammers is the more popular their page gets, the more money they waste because they need to go and find something to be able to post on there (unless they get gifted items). You often see they buy things they don't actually need and I'm sure lots are in debt.

It can become addictive as you worry about losing followers or your page looking or becoming boring and more criticism but I actually respect the Instagrammers who actually have a life aside from their page.

Also as added above, it's the perfect place for fake IGers and narcissists to get internet fame from, many are low in self esteem deep down and getting likes, comments and freebies picks up their esteem but with the internet will come trolls and criticism which many can't take.
 
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Something I've found with these Instagrammers is the more popular their page gets, the more money they waste because they need to go and find something to be able to post on there (unless they get gifted items). You often see they buy things they don't actually need and I'm sure lots are in debt.

It can become addictive as you worry about losing followers or your page looking or becoming boring and more criticism but I actually respect the Instagrammers who actually have a life aside from their page.

Also as added above, it's the perfect place for fake IGers and narcissists to get internet fame from, many are low in self esteem deep down and getting likes, comments and freebies picks up their esteem but with the internet will come trolls and criticism which many can't take.
I’ve just seen @LornaLuxe receive a box of fake nails and lashes and say ‘I’m thinking what I might do is a tutorial to show you how to stick them on ‘ I think it’s the most obvious thing to do ‘
Why do brands need to send so much stuff the these greedy grabbers !
 
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