I have a dilemma.
I know we were told as kids that social media, or the internet alone, can be dangerous. We use social media as a platform to show how good our lives are, knowing damn well our lives are pretty shitty.
Nowadays, there's this thing we call "finsta"—or "Fake Instagram." It's the secondary, private, or personal account we create to post diary entries, memes we wouldn't post on our original account. It's our safe space to express emotions we wouldn't care to say in person.
During my second semester of freshman year, I decided that a fake account would be cool. It's like having the social media personality we don't seem to present on our main accounts. Instead of posting pictures of our friends, a day at the beach, or just some regular picture for the aesthetic, I personally vent out my frustrations.
It was a dangerous thing for me because I'm a passive aggressive person. I don't usually like confrontations, but I often don't know how to confront situations. I'm a socially awkward guy, of course.
I'll admit, I used my finsta as a platform to vent about issues with my roommates, the things that would irritate me the most, how depressing my day has been, or situations that could have been avoided.
Sometimes, I'd use it for humor. I'll post pictures I'd probably wouldn't post on my main account because it wouldn't fit the aesthetic I try to convey. Typically, I'll post a blooper, a funny face, a random thought, or bizarre caption that I know only my close friends would understand.
As fun as it seemed in the beginning, using that account really made me realize how passive aggressive I am. Hence, I stopped using it for a while. My friends who'd follow it would always tell me it isn't healthy to pour out your feelings on public where they can see it. Instead, it's better to confront the situations right then and there.
There are many different ways, however, to take advantage of your fake Instagram account.
For instance, if you're into a particular topic, like fashion, music, travel, photography, make an account based on that. It can separate your personal interests from your own account.
in fact, I also have a music account where I share a few of my favorite songs or songs I have discovered on Spotify. I critique them or compare them to what's going on in my life.
Here's one post from my account:
What do you do on your fake Instagram accounts? Comment your views on them!