How Does Instagram Make Us Feel?

I hate taking pictures. I am not a photogenic person and Instagram has not been my go to social media site and there's good reason for that. Instagram feeds off of people who take pictures of themselves and how good they look that day, but how is it really making users feel about their appearance? In an article I read titled "Selfie Loathing: Here's Why Instagram is Even More Depressing Than Facebook" It talks about users self esteem and how Instagram is about making their pictures a contest. This can result in users feeling depressed or lonely about themselves. If no one likes it or views it, we might feel ugly or not worth our friends time. It shows the self esteem issue of Instagram and how it can send users into depression and even touches on stalkerish tendencies.

I asked myself how this can relate to business and I found an interesting view. If a company sells beauty products then having an Instagram account could be a money making machine! Feeding on low self esteem individuals can be a source of a great marketing opportunity. For instance, you have teenage girls who seem to have a really big issue with how they look each morning and when posting a picture to Instagram they want to feel attractive for all to see. Companies can really profit if they hon in on these Instagram accounts.

As for me and my lack of interest in Instagram, my opinion won't change. I do not like pictures and I won't post very many to the internet for all to see, but if I am a company I am going to use this social media tool to my advantage and try and appeal to those for feel unappealing.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/07/instagram_and_self_esteem_why_the_photo_sharing_network_is_even_more_depressing.html