Insecure Instagram
Thesis Question: How does Instagram’s curated perfection-culture further inhibit anxious/insecure user’s experience?
For this exhibit, I wanted to emulate my process of thinking while using Instagram. Using two foot-pedals so that viewers could navigate the “posts”, I supplied my own narrative after they chose to post.
If you would like to view the exhibit in digital form, use the “A” key to like and “B” to post.
Vinyl instructions for the exhibit.
More classmates interacting with my work.
Some of my classmates interacting with Insecure Instagram.
Me, probably explaining why I painted the walls the way I did.
Rationale Behind the Exhibit
My original question was how much can social media impact social anxiety? This was my focus for about a year before realizing that I may be focusing on something else past mental health, because we know that social media CAN impact any area of mental health as much as we allow it to.
After reconsidering, I changed my topic into finding out why I don’t post and what goes through my head as I browse Instagram. Finally, the research question became: How does Instagram’s curated perfection-culture further inhibit anxious/insecure user’s experience?
It may not be social anxiety, but Instagram has curated this etiquette that inhibits reaching out to others because the easiest way to acknowledge someone’s existence is with a double tap. Creating an experience where the user could “like” or “post” in an alternative form and compare the likes between what they post and what others have posted.