“I did it for the gram” is a phrase most people on social media (not just influencers!) have probably said in the past year or two. While I was eating at ‘cookie do’ in NYC, alone on a park bench with other random strangers taking pictures of their sickeningly sweet “cookie dough” in a cup, I started to think a lot about my habits, and how they have changed since the time before Instagram existed. Then I had an extremely frightening thought – Would I EVER have entered this establishment in 2009 and purchased cookie dough in a cup on a random Tuesday at 3PM?? The answer is pretty definitively no.
See, I am (or maybe was?!) a pretty healthy person! I love to exercise, I never minded a meal so bland that most people would yell WHERE’S THE SALT?? and I actually enjoy salad. But, with the invention of instagram, and trendy cute pictures of sweets, I bought into the craze and began to eat more sweets, which is totally fun and there is nothing wrong with it, but it is 100% a habit that has been influenced by the pictures I take for my instagram.
The thing is, it isn’t only with sweets! I’ve noticed this new trend, especially with travel, where I (and most people) enjoy seeing and doing things that translate best in photos. Now businesses are catering their menus, their decor and even their entire marketing strategy on whether their location or product will be shareable content. I’ve [sadly] attended beautiful events, with grammable flower walls and stunning table settings, but no food! Like, suddenly the actual experience of the meal doesn’t even matter because all that matters are the photos of people LOOKING like they may have sat down for a delicious meal. We’ve crossed this line of reality, and perception of reality, and there’s no going back.
Have your habits changed since the creation of instagram?
^^ Starbucks is taking full advantage. Did anyone actually drink this unicorn latte??? or did we all just snap a photo and toss it?