Perspective

Ok, so I only have instagram, so that is what I will be writing about.
I used to use instagram daily. I would check it at least ten times a day. It became an unconscious effort whenever I was bored for a minute. Also, I felt obligated, I am not sure by what, exactly, to post every so often. On top of that, I would scroll down through a long line of pictures every time I looked at my phone.
It progressed to the point where I lacked perspective. I had been using Instagram long enough to forget what my free time looked like without at least once initially "checking" the site. Eventually, I began to be transfixed with Instagram.
Finally, a couple months ago, a rare instance occurred. I showed my father a picture of a girl who had taken a selfie (I rarely showed Instagram to him) to discuss how her makeup style was a bit too heavy, in my opinion. He took my phone and stared at the picture for a minute, shaking his head. He wasn't looking at the girl's makeup, like I was. He was still shocked by the fact that she was sharing a picture of herself simply to accumulate compliments.
I had heard people talk about how selfies were "self-absorbed," but I had never paid it much mind.
But when my father shook his head and scrolled further down my feed, looking at more and more pictures, he simply shook his head and said, "Self-absorbed."
At first I didn't understand what he meant, but he went on. "They think that the whole world wants to see a picture of their face. They're doing this to receive compliments. That is something, when I was a kid, we would never have done."
You see, my father had perspective that I did not. He had not looked at countless pictures on Instagram until he nodded his head and drank the cool aid.
Now, don't get me wrong! I think selfies are cool every so often (and I use them!) My father was referring to a constant stream of selfies from one person.
Ever since that day, however, I began to reflect on Instagram. I tried to make a list of things that it truly contributed to my life. The list came up rather short.
So I began an experiment. I started using Instagram less and less. I have not posted in about two months, and I rarely check it anymore. At first, it was a bit hard to stop using it frequently. Now, however, I have found more perspective. I still think Instagram is very fun (!), but I have stopped seeing it as a little "world" of its own.
In the podcast, the girls are wholly absorbed with how many people liked their photos. Now, as one scrolls down through posts, one rarely puts much thought in what one likes. Yet, these girls are treating the "off-hand liking" of a photo as a life or death situation. I believe that these girls simply lack the perspective to use Instagram as fun app but not allow it to take over their lives.