what is so important on Fake insta
what is snapchat
Im in high school and i have an instagram, but i never knew that they were called 'finstagrams', we just always called them privates. "Oh did you see what So and So posted on they're private?" "Do you have a private?" "Why did you block me on your private" Ive never heard it be called Finstagram account. Also i feel that some of these comments are some what rude and not understanding. Sure it seems on the outside that Social Media is making us a bunch of sad attention seeking kids but its more than that and these people who are like "Go read a book, Its called a real relationship, Photo albums" obviously don't understand that things are changing and whining about it isn't going to help.
Valeriya - my little sister, a teenager in an NYC private school, invented the finstagram. Her school Principal even called her out on it during an assembly. We called her a crazy narcissist at first but now it's our family/close friend's favorite method of communication (other than face-to-face). Her first post was 118 weeks ago. You should talk to her!
This seems less fake than the "real" Instagram.
Hard to believe that these images will be any less staged than Instagram and Facebook postings. Selfies are selfies, no?
What I want to know is, how can anyone involved in so many platforms/sub platforms spending so much time creating/cultivating a persona/image possibly have any time to do anything useful? You know, like study, work, sleep?
6
I'm 50. I teach 13-year olds. I'm not judgmental about the world they live in, but I don't sense social media makes them happy. At an age when they are still figuring out who they are, they feel obligated to offer a 'self' to the world. That's a lot to ask of a kid.
9
Erich Fromm alerted us to the shallowness of the "other-directed personality" in his excellent books, which I was lucky enough to read at age 14-16.
When do these unfortunate teenagers have some moments alone with themselves, with their own thoughts and feelings, without any thought of "sharing" them? Or is this "productive loneliness" exactly what they are running away from?
When do these unfortunate teenagers have some moments alone with themselves, with their own thoughts and feelings, without any thought of "sharing" them? Or is this "productive loneliness" exactly what they are running away from?
7
Sounds like a free vehicle for a few terrorists to engage in private chat discussions.
1
I hope you're kidding. What you're saying is true of email, which has existed for 20 years.
2
I don't think you read the article, Mary. There has been talk in the news recently about terrorists using Whatsapp and other messaging apps to communicate secretly, but this article has nothing at all to do with that.
1
This is truly scary, is no part of one's life private?
Additionally, any internet picture can be available into infinity, is this good for a teenager?
Additionally, any internet picture can be available into infinity, is this good for a teenager?
5
I'm seconding (and thirding, etc.) others who saw immediately that "real" Instagram is the outlet for teens' fake persona, and "fake" Instagram is for their "real" persona. How sad! Every generation has its thing that previous generations shake their heads about, but this one speaks of a generation overly concerned with their appearance, and how they appear to the rest of the world. If only they knew how liberating it is to just be yourself always! It frees you up for the rest of your off-line life.
7
Go read a book.
21
And - of course - not a one of them sees the irony inherent in maintaining a fake instagram account in an effort to be authentic.
Lionel Trilling - where are you?
"Rousseau ... is aesthetically revolted by the trashiness of what, some twenty years ago, David Riesman called the 'other-directed' personality, which he saw becoming ever-more salient in our society. This is the personality whose whole being is attuned to catch the signals sent out by the consensus of his fellows and by the institutional agencies of the culture, to the extent that he is scarcely a self at all, but, rather, a reiterated impersonation."
Lionel Trilling - where are you?
"Rousseau ... is aesthetically revolted by the trashiness of what, some twenty years ago, David Riesman called the 'other-directed' personality, which he saw becoming ever-more salient in our society. This is the personality whose whole being is attuned to catch the signals sent out by the consensus of his fellows and by the institutional agencies of the culture, to the extent that he is scarcely a self at all, but, rather, a reiterated impersonation."
9
Or, you could just stop using all of it.
5
Too far down the rabbit hole.
4
Man, turn off the devices, meet at the pub for a drink with real live people & get a life.
12
These kids are at the pub with real live people, the problem is everyone at the table is on their device.
3
I feel like some of the comments already posted are from people way outside of the age demographic the article is about. And yet so many people are commenting as though they know better about this subject than the teens interviewed. Instead of judging maybe just take it for what it is: insight into a subset of current youth culture. Personally I find this article fascinating.
And the people who are complaining the finsta accounts are as fake as the instas? I think you might be missing the point that these teens are using finsta accounts so they can have more freedom to express themselves in ways that peers outside of their close knit group might judge or bully them for.
And the people who are complaining the finsta accounts are as fake as the instas? I think you might be missing the point that these teens are using finsta accounts so they can have more freedom to express themselves in ways that peers outside of their close knit group might judge or bully them for.
10
But that's the point -- is it "expressing yourself" if you admit up front that it's your "fake" self? You are right in that it's a fascinating view into youth culture, but I believe we are seeing what they cannot: that they are overly concerned with what people think about them, so they express themselves falsely on "real" Instagram and realistically on "fake" Instagram. These kids are going to be messed up adults if someone doesn't help them out of *any* Instagram and into the real world.
4
I'm 24, and while a finsta makes logical sense as a way to manage your digital persona... it also sounds like a dystopian nightmare. There are some of us who won't get sucked in.
6
I don't get it. Why is it called "fake" when it's more real?
So the real instagram accounts are their fake selves, and the fake accounts are their real selves. Isn't this the generation that demands total honesty, has no problem vilifying anyone older than 30 for their supposed inauthentic life?
23
"Isn't this the generation that demands total honesty, has no problem vilifying anyone older than 30 for their supposed inauthentic life?"
No that generation was the baby-boomers.
No that generation was the baby-boomers.
6
Well luckily I am not part of either.
Good one
- a baby boomer
- a baby boomer
When a friend was over to help recently, she was staring at photos on a small tablet. It was not 'Instagram', but it was her intensity that drew my attention in examining these pictures of herself. She is lovely not only in looks, but her personality is warm and caring.
She is a magnet for men, while having many women friends of all ages, I stood silent by her side, and finally blurted out without thinking 'when you have finished admiring yourself, perhaps we could start working', making me sound like a starchy school teacher.
Fortunately she seemed not to notice, and I have spent an outrageous amount of time looking at myself in the mirror. Alone, and not in public. Why? I am not planning to go to Hollywood, or take up a modeling career and when someone took a rare selfie of my portrait the other day, I looked like a bland camel or llama.
After all these years, I still do not know what I look like. It is how people react in public, how they approach me that is of interest today at my age, and I get smiles from everyone of all different cultures and ages, perhaps because I look 'goofy'.
An adolescent of 13 was staying the other evening while her parents were out celebrating, and showed me drawings, quite remarkable, of the same girl in various costumes, wigs and expressions. I admired these, but wondered why it was the same model, she is pretty herself.
Do not compare your life and looks to others. You are unique and it is safe to put 'the camera' away.
She is a magnet for men, while having many women friends of all ages, I stood silent by her side, and finally blurted out without thinking 'when you have finished admiring yourself, perhaps we could start working', making me sound like a starchy school teacher.
Fortunately she seemed not to notice, and I have spent an outrageous amount of time looking at myself in the mirror. Alone, and not in public. Why? I am not planning to go to Hollywood, or take up a modeling career and when someone took a rare selfie of my portrait the other day, I looked like a bland camel or llama.
After all these years, I still do not know what I look like. It is how people react in public, how they approach me that is of interest today at my age, and I get smiles from everyone of all different cultures and ages, perhaps because I look 'goofy'.
An adolescent of 13 was staying the other evening while her parents were out celebrating, and showed me drawings, quite remarkable, of the same girl in various costumes, wigs and expressions. I admired these, but wondered why it was the same model, she is pretty herself.
Do not compare your life and looks to others. You are unique and it is safe to put 'the camera' away.
4
So this is a social media platform where your follower/friends/inner circle can still screenshot and distribute your posts...How is this protecting your privacy? Also, this article acts like there isn't a "private" option on Instagram. The users who are juggling 2+ Instagrams just want the Instafame and eat their cake too.
8
Thank you for actually interviewing people in the demographic you're talking about! Much more useful than a parent or a think tank commenting on something they don't understand.
I'm 23. Over the summer I got back into Instagram, played along for a few weeks, then got disenchanted again with the race to perfection.
I followed someone just like the article describes and was quite simply blown away at the quality of his photos, captions, and even locations (all of which were clever). He has an incredible sense of humor, lots of friends, and of course plenty of photogeneticism. I didn't end up meeting but when I asked about his Instagram persona he said he was exactly the same in the real life. Thing is, I believe him. Some people are genuinely funny and attractive and spontaneous and outgoing. Instagram is just another of many tools they can use to leverage these qualities. One of the great injustices of life.
I do wonder how natural a posture of attention-seeking can be, and whether it affects mental wellbeing. Some people genuinely enjoy being fawned over and we can't disregard that motive.
The quote at the end, suggesting that we make do with what we have, is absurd. Humans invented these technologies and we have the power to invent new ones, discard old ones, and change how we use them. If people are so stressed about having to maintain their online presence, why don't they just quit as I have? Oh, right. The thirst for attention can never be quenched.
I'm 23. Over the summer I got back into Instagram, played along for a few weeks, then got disenchanted again with the race to perfection.
I followed someone just like the article describes and was quite simply blown away at the quality of his photos, captions, and even locations (all of which were clever). He has an incredible sense of humor, lots of friends, and of course plenty of photogeneticism. I didn't end up meeting but when I asked about his Instagram persona he said he was exactly the same in the real life. Thing is, I believe him. Some people are genuinely funny and attractive and spontaneous and outgoing. Instagram is just another of many tools they can use to leverage these qualities. One of the great injustices of life.
I do wonder how natural a posture of attention-seeking can be, and whether it affects mental wellbeing. Some people genuinely enjoy being fawned over and we can't disregard that motive.
The quote at the end, suggesting that we make do with what we have, is absurd. Humans invented these technologies and we have the power to invent new ones, discard old ones, and change how we use them. If people are so stressed about having to maintain their online presence, why don't they just quit as I have? Oh, right. The thirst for attention can never be quenched.
12
There is a wonderful scene in 'Postcards from The Edge' where a singer returns home after detoxing, and her mother, a famous movie star, greets her with a welcome back surprise party with all her family and friends. She insists that her daughter belt out a song for them, and then proceeds to take the front stage, and it is actually very funny.
The thirst for attention can be increased, or diminished depending on one's personality. Some of us are life actors and others of us are viewers in the audience.
The thirst for attention can be increased, or diminished depending on one's personality. Some of us are life actors and others of us are viewers in the audience.
3
Are you really 23?
3
Awesome comment.
Isn't this actually what a sensible Instagram account should be, rather than a pathway to minor celebrity?
8
Is there any reason it can't be both?
The telephone was conceived as an instrument for conducting business, and it remains one . . . but we're equally comfortable with using it to tell Aunt Minnie in Seattle what the baby did today.
The telephone was conceived as an instrument for conducting business, and it remains one . . . but we're equally comfortable with using it to tell Aunt Minnie in Seattle what the baby did today.
3
What about the actual fake Instagram accounts that people use to stalk people? I've heard that people will pretend to be focused on a certain topic, like trees or nature, only to follow private accounts of Ex-es or Frenemies. This way, those people don't know that they're just being followed by their stalker, and instead by a "Lover of cats!"
1
I've never seen any fb, insta, or finsta that is anything but a heavily marketed phony self. And this from a generation (20-somethings) that considers themselves more enlightened and non-judgmental than any previous generation. What passes for "real" to all of them is hilariously over-produced for maximum appeal. I have 2 daughters. I would not recognize either of their lives if I went by what I see on their "pages"...
26
"I've never seen any fb, insta, or finsta that is anything but a heavily marketed phony self."
I'll grant you the point for Facebook and Instagram, though I think it overreaches a bit. I'm skeptical, though, about your casual inclusion of "Finstagram" in the list -- how many Finstagram profiles have you actually seen? (For me, a parent with social-media-using kids, the answer would be: zero). It seems, by definition, a form of self-expression unlikely to be shared with the parental likes of you and me.
I'll grant you the point for Facebook and Instagram, though I think it overreaches a bit. I'm skeptical, though, about your casual inclusion of "Finstagram" in the list -- how many Finstagram profiles have you actually seen? (For me, a parent with social-media-using kids, the answer would be: zero). It seems, by definition, a form of self-expression unlikely to be shared with the parental likes of you and me.
2
Based on my 8th grade daughter's account, finsta's are used to trade naked photos. Oy, what's next?
2
Don't be ridiculous. Finsta is no more "real" than insta. Teens put in as much thought into a finsta post as they do into their insta. It's all posturing. The only exception is when they make an account, often with other kids, that only posts a certain type of pictures (ie. lizard pics, edited pics of beaches, etc.)
As my 13 yo explained -- she needs a Finsta in order to post a happy birthday message to people she considers 2nd tier friends, not worthy of a HBD post on her main account. Both accounts are part of her "online self".
As my 13 yo explained -- she needs a Finsta in order to post a happy birthday message to people she considers 2nd tier friends, not worthy of a HBD post on her main account. Both accounts are part of her "online self".
10
The one obvious question about this trend is..."Why is it called a fake instagram when it's supposedly less filtered/altered/perfected and is to be shared with only your closest correspondents?" It's sad that a portion of youth consider their time-consuming, curated account as the real deal. As an instagram user 24-29 y/o, the platform appeals to me for it's neatness as a gallery for my hobbies, and imagery feed of architecture and interior design (#goals).
5
I seriously can't imagine the amount of time wasted managing a real and a fake instragram account, not to mention tweeting, updating facebook and snapchatting. Here's a novel idea. Call your friends and meet them for dinner or drinks and simply enjoy it.
32
I think the interesting fact to go along with that is that survey data suggests that people now have fewer intimate friends than they did 30 years ago. So people are spending more time socializing, but with people to whom they would not share their innermost thoughts. That does sound exhausting.
9
As a 44-year old woman, it's good to know that I have been ahead of the curve - from when I signed up on Instagram my account has not had my full name (so a search for me yields nothing) and is private, only shared with close friends and family. It's quite a statement of our times that that's what people consider a "fake" account!
18
What a bunch of garbage. A fake Instagram account! All social media accounts are fake. And to all the nitwits who obsess and worry about their social media persona, here's a hot tip: don't worry about it because nobody really cares about what you post on facebook and instagram.
And here's another hot tip: quit wasting your life on social media - get off the internet and go outside and take a look at the real world before you degenerate into a holographic image of a human being.
And here's another hot tip: quit wasting your life on social media - get off the internet and go outside and take a look at the real world before you degenerate into a holographic image of a human being.
51
Thank you for posting this online in the NYT comments section, itself a sort of Finstagram. Well done. Hope you were outside when you hit submit.
24
It's not as if a person would get an account to specifically obsess over their appearance and standing. Maybe they start to see it as career building. If a person wants to be famous, social media is a good place to start.
80s and sunny in LA today. Mike was probably outside. You know you can comment on the NYT and be outside in LA. Now if Mike had posted some mundane Valencia filtered picture of his day inLA along with his comment, I would agree with your defense of wasting time on anti-social media but I'll have to give this one to Mike.
1
You know whats next? Physical photo albums that people look through and can only show someone in person.
95
All it takes is a phone in the wrong hands to turn your ugliest , most awkward picture in a photo album into your worst Instagram (or whatever social flavor of the day) nightmare. Best to just accept that any image of you can go public.