It’s the end of a long school day. Skylar, a student in Middle School, who has an Instagram account for over one and a half years, walks home from the bus. She doesn’t turn on the TV; she doesn’t even do her homework. She whips out her phone and checks her news feed which is basically a tab that shows who liked your post, commented.

Instagram is social media site that was acquired by the companies of Facebook. You may have heard of Instagram, but it’s a cool way to post pictures and short videos of almost whatever you want. Instagram is a great way to communicate with others and it’s kind of likes its own world. When you have an Instagram you get a profile which includes all of the pictures you post, a biography of yourself, and your number of “followers”. You can “follow” whomever you want and they might just follow you back, but, you should never follow strangers. “I would never follow strangers on Instagram because I don’t want strangers scooping out my account and trying to find who I am and where I live” says Skylar.

HOW THE INSTAGRAM USERS STAY CLOSE TO HOME
When you go on Instagram what do you picture it as? To me and 64% of the students polled in Middle School, interprets Instagram as its own universe. Think about it, most of the people living in cities like Los Angles, Denver, Detroit owns an Instagram account. In Fact, 84% of citizens living in Brooklyn, New York own an Instagram. It’s like a chained connection. You usually follow people in your town or city because in some way you know them, and they’re not a stranger to you. So think of your town is it’s on galaxy or its own world. What is meant to be said is, Instagram in the universe and all these towns and cities are the galaxies of Instagram. “It’s a new way to see the world,” according to the founder of Instagram, Mike Krieger. This world is amazing if you picture it. Sit down and ask yourself, do I follow anyone who lives in Charleston, Virginia? If you don’t live in that city 9 out of 10 times your answer will be no.

CREATIVITY IS KEY TO A GREAT POST
What do you post on Instagram? There are a lot of unique posts that people upload of Instagram. Instagram is a way to communicate and share topics to people besides texting. Sarah a student in Middle School who owns an Instagram profile, allowed me to sit down with her and ask a few questions. Sarah rarely posts. She would be lucky if she posts once a month. Sarah likes to posts for special occasions. A lot of people post, “duck-faced” selfies with “hash tags” in the captions but not Sarah. She posts pictures of special vacation photos and special events. “I love to share photos of my life and hobbies because it shows people who I am”, says Sarah. Skylar is totally different. She loves to post quotes related to life. She posts a selfie and leaves a life changing quote for her caption. She likes to share a piece of herself with her “followers”. So let me ask you again, what do you post on Instagram?

THE OTHER SIDE OF INSTAGRAM
Instagram is a big step when it comes to responsibility. You have a little more freedom when it comes to communicating, but with every hero there is a villain. This means when there is an Instagram, there will be people who use it properly and people who misuse the privilege. For example, there is a new trend in the Instagram world and it’s called Cyber Beauty Contests. This is where teenage girls every day take a full-body selfie and try to be as sexy as possible. People comment yes or no. The loser gets a red x across all her pictures. “Every student from a group quizzed at a Massachusetts High School told ABC News that they judge online Beauty Contests”, ABC news reporters. Every girl wants to know what other people think of them and will do anything for their opinion. Instagram should not be about contests it should be about sharing cool things about the world.

Instagram is a great opportunity to see the world in a totally new way. Once you create an account you are now sucked in to another dimension. Sharing quotes, like what Skylar posts, is a great way to express yourself and just be you. It’s not a good idea to play an ignorant game such as Beauty Contests. Now Skylar can grab a snack and do her homework after checking her Instagram. Instagram is a great creation so be creative!


Works Cited
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