I mentioned before that I had a dumb phone and rarely took pictures with it. Well, now I have a smart phone (an Android, if you're wondering), and I take pictures with it all the time. And I am finally on Instagram, too much, I think. It's my favorite social media platform now, so I love it. But I also kind of hate it because it sucks up time that I should be doing other stuff. Here are some more love/hate facts:
One
LOVE -- I really enjoy keeping up with friends who are only on Instagram (i.e. not on Facebook) and sharing tidbits of our life. I feel more inclined to comment on their photos, too. And it's so easy to like their photos, a little way to let people know you're thinking of them.HATE -- I have a false sense of knowing what's going on in my friends' lives (same goes for Facebook, really). Instagram is just a tiny slice of life, usually only the pretty bits, so I may forget to call (or text, who am I kidding) and reach out to friends in real life (at first I typed IRL, by the way, but I think I am too old to do that).
Two
LOVE -- There are so many beautiful things to look at. I follow a few Swiss photo accounts and the pictures of snowy mountains are both killing me and putting a smile on my face.HATE -- I care too much about how my feed looks. With all the beautiful feeds out there, it makes me want to make mine beautiful too. While I love personal accounts like the one by super popular blogger @joannagoddard and bright, colorful feeds like the one by another popular blog @ohhappyday, I am particularly drawn to the soft color palettes (black, white, grey, navy, blush and pops of red or goldenrod) of the following accounts:
Baby toys: @pinchtoys & @lilah_and_co
Mommy bloggers: @whitneyjohnson & @alovelyjourney
As much as I want my feed to look like those (though, mostly, I just want my closet to be filled with pretty clothes in those colors), reality is that I don't have white sheets (I take photos of Paloma against Hunter's white waterproof fitted sheet) or white walls (and probably never will because I don't think Isaiah would go for it) or a photogenic house, and I don't buy those clothes for my children. (I lean more toward the colorful styles of Tea Collection, Hanna Andersson, and Zutano.) I do, however, try to be thoughtful about lighting and composition when I take photos to post on IG.
When I look at the photos I have posted so far, I see bright, happy colors, and that's just me. Anything else would be too contrived. Really, I look at those feeds, and somehow they make lounging around in the bed wearing all black with a super stylish 3-week-old look so organic. But if I were to do the same, I am sure it would look super staged. I have an eye for good style, but I can't recreate it to save my life!
When I look at the photos I have posted so far, I see bright, happy colors, and that's just me. Anything else would be too contrived. Really, I look at those feeds, and somehow they make lounging around in the bed wearing all black with a super stylish 3-week-old look so organic. But if I were to do the same, I am sure it would look super staged. I have an eye for good style, but I can't recreate it to save my life!
Three
LOVE -- I am super inspired by some of the awesome things mommy bloggers are doing and posting. Mommies with three kids under the age of five making lasagna for big family dinners while nursing a newborn and baking homemade pop tarts and building indoor forts with toddlers (who don't go to school???) all while having immaculate style and eyebrows and makeup.HATE -- I can't seem to keep my house tidy let alone my eyebrows, so I also get a wee bit jealous.
Bonus: LOVE -- I am a sucker for giveaways, and Instagram users host giveaways like crazy! HATE -- I spend way too much time entering said giveaways!
In conclusion, if you know of any good apps that will turn my phone off if I have spent too much time on Instagram, let me know! ;)
I'm not on Facebook or instagram and i have to admit sometimes I feel left out....however you nailed it exactly that by not being on there I (as well as my true friends) do have to make the effort to actually communicate with the people close to me!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Very honest and realistic!
-Linds
Funny, I AM on those social media platforms and I still find that I feel left out. I didn't get to see, hear, or do whatever... it's silly. I really want to work on connecting with my friends more personally.
DeleteI have that same problem with some of my friends. I think or they think they know what's going on, but it's such a tiny bit of my life. like insanely tiny. Snapchat is better for my friends, and I don't have my name publicly, so it shows a bit more of how *boring* my day is and how dirty my house is. I definitely have a love/hate relationship. But I view it through a lens of "this is only part of the story"! xxs
ReplyDeleteI joined Instragram because I wanted to promote my blog, but most of my followers are friends and family I see in real life, so I find that even though I share the pretty bits of life, I do want to share the "raw" stuff too because I know my friends would appreciate it. I posted a picture of my messy living room the other day and it felt good. ;)
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