When I first started to take Instagram seriously I was so in love with the community it created, I loved how women were coming together from all over the country (and from other countries) to inspire, encourage and promote each other.
We were supporting each other in weight loss, motherhood, pregnancy, business, life, it was a place you could visit for ideas and feedback. Got a new recipe you loved, share it and let others try it for themselves, found a new online boutique you can’t stop shopping, share it, promote what you love and help someone grow their business. Interested in trying something new but not sure it’s for you, ask others for their experiences and make your own choices.
Somewhere along the way it stopped being about love and support and started to become about what you have and who you know. It seems then that Instagram is more about what you can gain than what you can give, and I think that is a real shame. It feels like there is always an ulterior-motive to people’s pictures, it’s all become a bit of a show off.
When did we start a culture of putting people down, for publically shaming those who don’t fit the “ideal” or ostracising those who dare to share a different opinion? Life isn’t about finding people who agree with you, where’s the fun in that? It’s about opening up discussion, allowing all people to share their views and experiences and being open and civil with those you may not agree with.
I’m not really sure when we started going down this route or when our huge online community became segregated but I think it’s a real lost opportunity for people to help and support each other.
Can we just rewind a few months to when our online community was exactly that, a community of friendly faces, women celebrating, embracing and learning together, I miss that. Who wants to spend their time being annoyed, or feeling put down or excluded, instead if we all made a conscious effort to raise each other up Instagram would be a much nicer place to socialise.
Don’t you think it’s about time we were all a little kinder to each other?
Rachel xx
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