Don’t worry Instagram – I still love you

It’s crazy how much Instagram has changed our lives and you know what? I’m not even mad. Yes, I do have my bad days where I’m comparing myself to others, but it’s also had such a positive impact on my life. I’ve never connected with more people from all corners of the internet than I have done on instagram and it’s the first place I look at when searching for beautiful places to go to. So don’t worry Instagram – I still love you. Here are more reasons why I love the ‘gram! 

pretty much everything is from boohoo / accessories: eBay / bag: dorothy perkins

The Algorithm

I have to admit… I actually really like the algorithm. There – I said it. Yes, I know that likes and engagement have gone down dramatically sinced they introduced instagram but it has also taken off the pressure of me having to be on it all of the time just so that I can see everyone’s posts. Instead, I can see what people have posted hours ago that I would’ve normally have missed out on if everything was chronological. 

Insta Stories

Thank GOD for insta stories. I friggin’ love the fact that I can get an inside peek into people’s lives no matter how mundane it seems (like yes, I do want to see your cat and that book you’re reading lately). The grid is more of a highlight reel but stories is where all of the magic happens. There’s a certain degree of intimacy to be able to watch a video of someone chatting to you without their makeup on and I love that.

I also love the fact that more and more people (bloggers especially) have also started sharing their behind-the-scenes and tips on how they create their beautiful photos on insta stories and it’s so refreshing to see all of the hard work that goes behind it! 

It’s the most positive place in the world

People slag off the fact that instagram is a highlight reel but this is what actually makes it such a positive place to be – people share the amazing parts of their lives and there’s something about seeing other people happy that would make you happy, too. 

There’s a big community of gyaru at all levels

Newbie gyaru, those who’ve been interested in it since the beginning of time, and those who have only just stumbled upon it – there’s such a big community of gyaru on instagram, it’s unreal. The #gaijingyaru hashtag has boomed (at the moment it has over 60k posts!) and I love scrolling through and sharing some of my faves every Friday. 

Like I mentioned right at the beginning of this post, insta has allowed me to reach out to so many people and I don’t think I’ve talked to more gyaru than I do on insta. Even if it’s just commenting, “YASSSSSSS I LOVE THIS OUTFIT” or simply double-tapping on their photos, insta is a great way to connect with so many different people. I’ve made some really good friends on there! 

It booted me out of my comfort zone

And boy it was a big kick. Long gone are the dusty mirror outfit photos and the very blurry selfies! It gently pushed me to taking pictures in my back garden before going out in (dare I say it) public *gasp*. It has shown me just how much I love going out and taking pretty photos and to not be ashamed of it and you know what? Someday I’d love to have a professional photographer to take photos of me. Some people might roll their eyes at me when I say that but I just love dressing up and having the photos to prove it. That’s not to say that I only do things for the ‘gram – even if instagram didn’t exist, I’d still be doing this (but then posting them all on my blog haha). 

It is a goldmine of inspiration

But this has led me to look to instagram for inspiration when taking photos – and the inspiration is endless –  and having “saved” folders has really helped out. Whether that’s things like poses I want to try out or photo angles I want to explore, everytime I see something inspirational I would save it and then try it out. My poses are still pretty awful, but I’m trying! And insta has helped me out so much. You can find everything and anything you want to inspire you. I love the accounts that also tag the locations and places where they’ve bought things from (and this is where the term “influencer” comes in) as it influences me into doing the things they’ve done and buying the things they have because I want photos like that, too. 

So TLDR; I absolutely love instagram and I am so grateful that it exists as it’s had such a positive impact on my life. 

What do you love about instagram?

Love,
Lizzie xx