screenshot of my instagram profile page
Instagram: it’s my of-the-moment social media salve. (Perfect for scrolling through at 3am London time, when I can’t sleep and it seems like my friends in California are having loads of fun.) Visual stimulation and inspiration plus connection? Yes, please.
But Instagram has also taught me a lesson. Its policy of only allowing you to access your 300 most recent likes has forced me to stay in the moment. At first, I railed against those lost photos (what if the perfect one was in there?), and hoped that the powers that be would realize their policy error, and cave to my desires. But they haven’t, and perhaps the better lesson was learning to let. them. go.
I’m learning to enjoy the beauty in real time — savoring it, even — but I’ve come to realize that much like any experience, holding on tightly rarely gives the payback you desire. I’m not perfect: I still tend to ration out my likes a bit too stingily, trying to make my favorites last, but I’m learning. and becoming more thoughtful in the process.
3 Comments
Love what you wrote.
“I’m learning to enjoy the beauty in real time — savoring it, even — but I’ve come to realize that much like any experience, holding on tightly rarely gives the payback you desire. I’m not perfect: I still tend to ration out my likes a bit too stingily, trying to make my favorites last, but I’m learning. and becoming more thoughtful in the process.”
Have a great week Jane!
~a.
thank you, a! hope all is well in california — i’ll be checking in at 3 a.m. :)
What a wonderful perspective on this!
I, on the other hand, ended up linking my instagram to my evernote, so everytime I “like” something, it gets dumped into an archive for me to access forever…it’s overwhelming!
:) alexandra