The Breakdown

Look. We all remember those days where you could post a picture of yourself planking or just something random like a desk in the classroom in middle school. No one would question it. If you did that today, you're most likely going to lose followers. You might ask why that is and honestly, I think it's because we are post middle school and everyone seems to care about their social media presence, me included and most likely you as well.

But before I begin, let me get one thing clear. You are not your social media. Your value is not based on how many likes you get on your Instagram posts or how many retweets or favorites you get on your tweets. You are your own person away from the Internet and the sooner you come to terms with that, the happier you'll be.

The Goal

For our thesis statement: We, as a collective unit, are here to make Instagram casual again. Now, what do I mean by that? Let's look at the facts. For starters, if you are a girl in high school or college, ask yourself how many pictures on your Instagram have you edited? How many have you posted without touching a single thing up? There is my first point. It's not casual. If there is one thing out of place for a girl that cannot be fixed, then it will not be posted. This is not me coming at the females, it is just me simply saying that Instagram is currently not casual.

Next up is the male gender. Dudes, take a look at your Instagram and you are either one of two types: someone who is caught up and posts pictures of you and your bros (or your girlfriend) doing something fun or you are the guy who hasn't posted in months. Both of these prove my point. For the first example, dudes only posts pictures they think are "worthy" of Instagram. Every picture is worthy, let em fly. For the second, either they just don't care about Instagram (pretty casual if I say so myself) or they, again, just don't think anything is really worthy.

You sitting in your truck bed at a tailgate is worthy. Just post it. All of us high school and college kids find ourselves in the same boat. None of us are casual anymore. It's all about posting at the right times to get the most likes (definitely guilty of this myself) or touching up every single imperfection and blemish to where everyone can tell what's been done. My people, it is time to be real again. We are on a new wave.

How we are Going to do it

The very first step we are going to take is a simple one. Forget all of the unwritten and unspoken rules of Instagram. Wipe the slate clean. From here on out, if we like a picture, we are going to post it. No matter what it may be, it is going to go on our Instagram. Just be real and just be you. Second of all, forget about the likes. The world would be a much better place if we didn't judge our content by how many likes you get. I have heard people say "I never like their pics because they never like mine!" What's the point of following them then?!

If you like their picture, like it. If you don't, then don't!!! Take all the value of a like away and you have nothing. That's what we are going to work towards so everyone will understand that our lives are meant for sharing with our friends and family what we love. We are meant to spread what we enjoy so other people can enjoy too. That is how we are going to #MakeInstagramCasualAgain