Pros and Cons of Instagram

Unit 1 Introduction

Even though I finished before the deadline, I remember being so nervous about submitting this 

assignment that I waited until the last minute to submit. 

Introduction

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Unit 1

Most people imagine high school to be like it is in the movies. Well, at least that's what the younger me thought. In case you didn’t know, I was born and raised in Grenada. Then, at the age of twelve, I moved to America. To this day, I sometimes feel like I'm living a double life because I don’t feel like I fit in. I loved going to school on the island. There were only two secondary schools (or high schools as they’re called in America), so after primary school (middle school), all the kids on the island chose which one they thought was best for them based on everything they’d heard of both schools while growing up. I loved it because the school I selected was small, everyone knew each other, and we all got along well. However, when the opportunity arose to come to the US, I was excited to see what awaited me at my new American high school for the next four years and beyond.

Since I didn’t get the full middle school experience in America, I didn’t take the tax exam nor did I get to physically make a list of high schools and apply to them. My parents and I both knew that a public high school was not for me because I didn’t enjoy the little time I spent at the public middle school, so I went to an open house at a private school and I liked it because it was small and welcoming just like my school back home. It was a Catholic all girls school so my parents thought that would be a great fit. I had an interview with the principal and vice principal. We talked about the differences and similarities between my school back in Grenada and the high school, as well as my goals for the next four years. I answered every question they asked me, and finished each one with a friendly smile. After going back and forth for about 30 minutes the principal and vice principal shook my parents’ hands then mine and said, “If you wish, you are welcome to join us this school year.” Hearing that made me smile even more because I was really excited--but still nervous since I didn’t know what to expect at a Catholic all girl school.

The day before my first day of high school, my parents took me uniform shopping (because they love doing things at the last minute). I remember walking into Flynn O'Hara and being bewildered by all the different school uniforms hanging on the wall and on the mannequins. In the dressing room I tried on some grey uniform pants, a grey skirt, white polo shirts and a few sweaters with my schools’ logo on the top left shoulder. Then we went school supply shopping on the same day. I surprisingly got everything I needed for the school year. We then went home and my dad ironed my uniform, my mom did my hair, and I packed my book bag. I got to sleep around 9pm. I remember being the first person to wake up in my household the next morning which was around 4am because I was so excited and nervous about my first day. I showered, got dressed, and ate cereal with strawberries and bananas. My dad was already in the car waiting to drop me off because he claimed that he was also excited about my first day, but I think he was more excited to get me out of the house because I was a “pain.”

I walked into the building with joy, seeing all the girls I'd be spending the next four years with, not knowing that it would’ve technically been two years together in person instead of four and that I would be miserable and tired of it all before the four years were up. Everyone was in the gym/ auditorium having conversations and making new friends and the energy was very welcoming from the staff and the upperclassmen. In my high school, a freshman was paired with a sophomore, junior, or senior to help us feel less nervous and show us around the school. We had a twin day competition with an assigned sister; my junior sister and I won first place. As the years went by I would be excited to meet my freshman sister and go shopping for twin day, hoping to win the competition one day, but I never did with any of my freshman sisters.

Freshman year I was ready to start school. I didn’t take school seriously but I also wasn’t a bad kid. I got up every day and went to class and did my work. I made some friends and I felt like I was living the high school life like in the movies. However, the friends I made turned out to be bad for me so I removed myself from the crowd and just focused on going to school, doing my work and going straight home after because I didn’t want to disappoint my parents. I felt like I could've gotten better grades at the end of the year, but I was only focused and motivated for the first semester and then just did the work to pass without putting in much effort the rest of the year. Sophomore year I was excited again until we ended up virtual because of covid. The first semester was in person, so again I was focused and motivated because it was the beginning of the school year. The rest of the school year was virtual, and I didn’t take my work seriously again but still did it to pass. I signed in on Google Meets for attendance then set alarms and went to sleep until my next class. Junior year we had the option to be fully virtual or hybrid. I was excited again so I chose to be a hybrid student; being virtual and in person every other day. It was fun and productive at first because we had been virtual for almost 2 years, but after a couple of weeks I was fully virtual again, signing in on Google Meets, setting alarms, sleeping, and waking up when my alarm went off. Senior year I was not excited anymore. I woke up, did my hair, showered, got dressed and my dad dropped me off. I was completely over the experience like in the movie by then. This time, I took my work seriously, and achieved first honors in my first and second semesters because I knew I wanted to go away for college and I needed to work hard for it. Even though going away didn’t work out for me, I knew I had it in me and I was extremely proud of myself for how hard I worked that year. 

INTRODUCTION

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UNIT 2

What are the positive and negative aspects of Instagram?

Instagram is a well-known social media platform that has a steadily growing fan base. Because of the large number of adolescent users, this platform causes many mental health problems. Most adolescents use social media as a source of income and to discover their true selves. Companies and entrepreneurs send their products for promotion and advertising, and they pay the influencers. Another use of social media would be when adolescents are alone. They use social media to cope with their loneliness-related thoughts and feelings. When life isn't going well, not everyone has someone they can rely on. Therefore, logging onto any social media platform as a distraction to clear your mind from what's really going on in your life is what most adolescents do. The majority of adolescents are influenced by many things on social media, including comparing their body image to social media influencers. Being on social media and comparing your body to influential people can put pressure on you to change your appearance to look like them, whether by starving yourself, forcing your body to work out, or taking pills to help them gain weight, which can sometimes lead to an overdose. When you don't get the desired results, you can become depressed, and your body will eventually give up. Depression, anxiety, and a lack of self-control are the issues that contribute to their mental health issues. Contrasting themselves to social media models and influencers and being bullied aggravates the situation and may increase suicide rates.

 The Financial Diet. “6 Ways Instagram Is Making You a Worse Person.” YouTube, 29 Dec. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gua3ZRcGufw.

In the video from The Financial Diet on Youtube we learn that Instagram is basically a “comparison machine.” All because the primary function is to provide you with a highly customized window into the lives of people you know or believe you know. And this comparison can manifest in a variety of insecurities, ranging from our body image to our careers to our fashion sense, as the video reports: “Clinical psychologist Rachel Andrew says she is seeing more and more envy in her consulting room, from people who, quote, can't achieve the lifestyle they want but which they see others have” (2:36-2:44). People used to be jealous of their colleagues, but now we have Instagram, where people are envious of their friends, family, and even total strangers. Plus, they now compare themselves to models on Instagram.

I agree with the statement that Instagram is a "comparison machine," because I believe that some people are dissatisfied with their lives. When you see what other people have going for themselves, you tend to degrade yourself with silly comments and thoughts like, "What am I doing with my life?" or, "I'm falling behind in my life." I say this because I find myself thinking these things and comparing my life to others on Instagram, but then I remember that not everything you see online is real, such as Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBLs), or that it's just makeup and photoshop. Not having the same lifestyle is okay and your time is coming soon.

Sonia Livingstone. “Taking Risky Opportunities in Youthful Content Creation: Teenagers’ Use of Social Media Networking Sites Intimacy, Privacy, and Self-Expression.” New Media & Society, Vol. 10, No. 3, (2008), pg. 393-411

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444808089415

Making money online as an Instagram influencer is one of those opportunities. In the article Taking Risky Opportunities in Younger Content Creation, Sonia Livingstone discusses how “teenagers’ practice of social networking in order to uncover the subtle connections between online opportunity and risk…teenagers relish the opportunities to continuously recreate a highly-decorated, stylistically-elaborate identity. Older teenagers favor a plain aesthetic that foregrounds their links to others, thus expressing a notion of identity lived through authentic relationships” (393-411). 

 I agree with the author because taking chances and risks can be difficult for some people due to a lack of self-confidence and the fear of being judged, but when you make friends on social media, they compliment you and help you build your confidence. And, if you do not receive the desired support, you may lose faith in your goal of taking the opportunity of being self-sufficient, having your own money, simply spending time with yourself, and learning to be a better version of yourself. It’s severe because you're giving up before you've even begun. Your entire life is ahead of you, and your actions now will determine the success of your future, so that's a benefit of having social media, making money, learning to be more responsible, and taking chances in life.