Capturing the Moment

Steve Furtick said it best, "The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone's highlight reel." Not only has Instagram sparked a new level of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), it has become the big screen for everyone's highlight reel. Of course everything we see on Instagram is going to be "picture perfect." We are all guilty of it. We want everyone to see the good. We save the bad and the ugly for late night chats with our best friends, when snap an Instagram pic of the cookie dough and wine with a caption about how amazing our friends are.

Every girl’s night out, beautiful sunset, trip to Puerto Vallarta, birthday, snow day and everything in between requires an Instagram picture. We are no longer focused on living in the moment; we are focused on capturing the moment. We take time getting the perfect angle and staging the perfect picture, then we have to collaborate with our friends to decide which filter makes the picture look the best. What are we missing out on while spending 10 minutes to get the perfect Instagram picture?

Not only do we take time to create the perfect picture and scroll through the Instagram feed looking at everyone’s crafted photos, we are constantly comparing likes. On multiple occasions, I have heard comments like, “Ahh I got 105 likes on this picture. That’s a new record!” Instagram has created an unspoken competition. Who can get the most followers, comments and likes?

We are consumed by Instagram and everything it has to offer: the feeling when we finally get the PERFECT picture, a record-setting number of likes on a photo and the parasocial relationships we create (If you haven’t heard of Theo and Beau, go check out mommasgonecity. Your heart will MELT!). As Williams mentioned in The Agony of Instagram, Instagram is becoming an epidemic. I think it’s crazy when I meet someone that doesn’t have an Instagram, but maybe they are the ones that have it figured out. They may not have all of their moments captured, but maybe they have enjoyed the moments a little bit more than those of us focused on the best filter.