What's with people and selfies on instagram?

kata18

I understand the occasional selfie. It's not everyday (and if it is, I envy you) that your hair and makeup is perfect. I've noticed one of my followers on instagram is FULL of selfies - about 3 or 4 per week! I'm really curious as to why people feel the need to post endless pictures of themselves on social media. Is it insecuring? Wanting validation? I really do not understand the obsession. 

Jells2dot0

I don't even have an Instagram account!!! I think I take awful pictures and would not want to burden the world with having to look at my face in different poses every day. 

However, I broke my rule of selfies to document my journey with cancer, but I did it to promote awareness of the disease. You hear a lot about breast cancer but not so much about non-hodgkin's b-cell lymphoma. 

theartistformerlyknownas

People seeking validation. Every "love" boosts the self-esteem. And to some extent, social media can perpetuate a feeling among already narcissistic people that everyone really wants to see their face every day.

kata18

Jells2dot0, I totally understand those selfies - especially if you are documenting fighting cancer. The ones I have a difficult time understanding are the ones with "hey, look at me I have a starbucks in my hand" or "lol I'm bored at work here's my bored face." You know, the ones people don't really even need to see? I hope all is well with you, Jells2dot0!

Jells2dot0

kata18 said:

Jells2dot0, I totally understand those selfies - especially if you are documenting fighting cancer. The ones I have a difficult time understanding are the ones with "hey, look at me I have a starbucks in my hand" or "lol I'm bored at work here's my bored face." You know, the ones people don't really even need to see? I hope all is well with you, Jells2dot0!

SIB

Not only did I hopefully raise awareness, but those selfies were taken at my worst. It's only up from there. J/K- I still won't take them because no one needs to see me that much. 

holyguacamole79

My instagram feed is mostly dogs, sunsets, and booze. I think my priorities are on point.

raissyrais

Like Jells, I do not even own an Instagram account. I don't understand the obsession either but it's got to do with this wave of constant need for attention and like you said, validation. I have a few younger friends who fall in that "virtual generation" and it's sad to see them live their whole lives on the internet and be barely able to hold a conversation in real life. Now imagine what it's like when they have to show their real faces to the world instead of their sepia toned, airbrushed ones.

lyndausvi

my brother started a 80 days till christmas selfie thing to embarrass his daughter on how often she does selfies.  It's pretty funny actually and I have a count down till christmas.

But honestly I do not get why people do it.

SmileDamnit

I think it might be an age thing, perhaps? Most of my friends are in their 30s and while the occasional selfie pops up, there are far more of kids, pets, booze, nature, etc. (…you know, all the "old people" stuff).

theartistformerlyknownas

A friend started a daily selfie thing as a sort of "I'm proud of my 30-something face" thing. If they have a reason, I don't care so much. Or my friend with a strange last name, let's call it Boink. People teased him for his drinking coffee selfies, and nicknamed it Boinking. So now he keeps the joke going, and all his pics are like Boinking with a beer watching football, Boinking in San Francisco, etc. I think it's funny how his face is always the same and just the cup and background change.

Cookie Pusher

I don't have an Instagram, but I did do a selfie every day when I first started my job to document that I owned more than enough clothing that I could wear a different outfit every day for a year without having to purchase anything new. The money I would have spent, and was told by more than a few people that I "deserved" to spend, was spent on charitable endeavors instead. Capitalism is all good and well, but spending money you don't have on things you don't need doesn't really help the economy.

falsara

I don't have an instagram, I think it's going to stay that way.  I just don't really see the point of it.

hellosweetie1015

I think I may have posted three or four selfies my entire life. We took more selfies in Universal than FI and I have ever taken combined, and that was because our parents requested them SPECIFICALLY.

(They got one from the first morning in Hogsmeade. My eyes were the size of dinner plates and I looked like a madman.)

beethery

The only person I know who posts up TONS of selfies is one of the biggest AW's I've ever met. Like 3 selfies a day and she'll cross-post them to facebook, then SHARE THEM again later if she doesn't get any likes the first time. She's just super thirsty for attention.

It is obnoxious.

pinkcow13

I know a girl who takes gym selfies. We work together. Not only is it a selfie of her expression after doing a bunch of squats. But she will post a picture of her backside while doing the squat. Who the fuck is her paparazzi at work taking these pics???

flyingfoxes

There's a girl on my FB that posts about 4-5 selfies a day, and changes her profile pic about that much as well.  I refuse to comment or like any of them - she's looking for someone to stroke her ego and I'm not going to be the one.

blabla89

april182015bride said:

There's a girl on my FB that posts about 4-5 selfies a day, and changes her profile pic about that much as well.  I refuse to comment or like any of them - she's looking for someone to stroke her ego and I'm not going to be the one.

I'm pretty sure you're talking about my former college roommate.

Having lived with her, I can say pretty certainly that it's an insecurity thing.

bethsmiles

I think teenagers do it because it's what everyone else is doing it. I think adults (without any sort of reason, such as raising awareness, documenting an experience, or embarrassing their children in hilarious ways) do it for validation and to boost their ego.

thisismynickname2

I love Instagram!

There is only one woman I'm acquainted with who posts a few selfies per week for no discernible reason. A few others seem to have some purpose... one's a makeup artist, another is a bodybuilder and uses her account to put fitness tips out there in the universe.

Without an obvious purpose I just think daily selfies are nothing but narcissism. 

I think Instagram is great for those of us that love photography. I'll tag my photos with general stuff like "wine" or "ballet" so that I can pull up the tag and see other public photos on the same theme.  I tag my city in a lot of things and enjoy seeing other photos of the city... that kind of thing. 

loro929

I love instagram but the overdone selfies have to go.

I have had 3 or 4 people in the past completely take over my entire feed by posting not 1, nor 2 (which in itself is excessive) but 10+ photos of themselves in various yoga positions, with an inspiration quote super imposed over the photo, abstract shots of body parts, you name it. 

For a while I did not unfollow these people mostly for laughs (each marathon of rediculous photos was also accompanied with a novel long list of hashtags)* but after awhile it got stale. 

My mini-feed  only occasionally becomes clogged now. 

*I am not lying - For fun, I checked out one of the un-followed people and the latest photo has 35 accompanying hash tags. THIRTY-FIVE!

hellohkb

Meh, I don't mind selfies. Unless they are clogging up my feed with like 5 per day. Or they're posting several butt selfies.

thisismynickname2

Oh yeah, to the clogging the newsfeed point.... Instagram is for individual pictures folks. You want an album, post an album to Facebook.

Those are the people that I've unfollowed- the album-posters!

The only semi-dangerous thing about Instagram is that the public aspect is what makes it fun.  Ergo, I'm very careful of what I post (mostly scenic pictures, very few of me actually in them).

Some people, not so much. Like this guy I know that divorced his wife this year and already has pictures of him with his new girlfriend on Instagram. Speculation is she's the homewrecker.  I'm watching their accounts like it's a daytime soap opera. 

esstee33

@thisismynickname You can make IG private. 

levioosa

My ex started modeling.  I kept him on my instagram because it's too hilarious not to.  He posts a ton of selfies, all with like 30 hashtags...no joke.  There so much ego that goes into posting that many selfies/hashtags.

Even though instagrammed food gets a lot of hate, I secretly love it.  It gives me new ideas for things to try.  

KatieinBkln

I like Instagram (follow National Geographic, it's awesome!) but selfies piss me off. Like, WE GET IT, YOU'RE PRETTY. YOU'RE SOOOOOOO PRETTY.

Gag.

mrsdee15

There's a person I'm Facebook friends with who seriously posts four or five selfies (plus probably about 10 hashtags - not exaggerating - for each one) on Instagram a day and then she also shares them on her Facebook.  She also has the biggest collection of crop tops I've ever seen.  I get it, you have #mermaidhair and a #flatstomach and love #pizza, #lol, but I just can't with her billions of pictures sometimes.  Some days they're all down my news feed.

Darn it, now I have a pizza craving...

thisismynickname2

@esstee33 I know you can be private, but the fun is being public.  I see my "friends'" pictures on FB but I love photography so much I enjoy seeing what else is out there with people I don't know.  

The NatGeo account is awesome! 

esstee33

thisismynickname said:

@esstee33 I know you can be private, but the fun is being public.  I see my "friends'" pictures on FB but I love photography so much I enjoy seeing what else is out there with people I don't know.  

The NatGeo account is awesome! 

But you can browse public accounts without having to have yours public. 

hellohkb

mrsdee15 said:

There's a person I'm Facebook friends with who seriously posts four or five selfies (plus probably about 10 hashtags - not exaggerating - for each one) on Instagram a day and then she also shares them on her Facebook.  She also has the biggest collection of crop tops I've ever seen.  I get it, you have #mermaidhair and a #flatstomach and love #pizza, #lol, but I just can't with her billions of pictures sometimes.  Some days they're all down my news feed.

Darn it, now I have a pizza craving...

Aw man I've used the mermaidintraining hash tag Now I feel lame.

mrsdee15

I just wish I could say I have mermaid hair, that's most of my gripe with that one

theartistformerlyknownas

Ugh the multiple hashtags kill me. On the few occasions I do post a selfie (which I always try to have a better reason for than just "hey look at my face") I don't hashtag it at all. I don't presume that strangers want to see my selfies, and I don't need their validation.