Contents
About
Instagram needs no introduction, but let me be pretty clear on my opinions. Unhappiness caused by social media is well known, and nicely portrayed in the movie The Social Dilemma, and in my humble opinion Instagram is the worst. Worse than Facebook ever was, because at least on Facebook you can see birthdays and create events for friends. Instagram cut all that away and focused on the most addictive part only - a scrolling list of photos with like buttons.
PS: As with all pages about website, I have tips and tricks on using the program at the bottom.
My instagram: www.instagram.com/andrewnoske/
My "Consent To Kiss" instagram: www.instagram.com/consent.to.kiss/
Why I Hate Instagram
Just to be clear, I don't hate many things. I'm a relaxed person, but certain things irk me enough that I have to vent. Probably only half a dozen things. Instagram is one of those things.
Instagram perfected the addictive slot machine infinite scrolling interface and it's the ultimate in show off tools for young people. Instagram has lead to a new era where someone's job can be an "influencer", a sad turn in human history where people aspire to make a living from selfies. Remember once upon a time people would go on a trip and enjoy the experience of a new culture. That day is gone.... most girls I seem to spend 60% of their time "exploring" just taking selfies and applying filters to make themselves seem glamorous, and 60% of their free time at home scrolling through pictures and feeling miserable when they realize their peers have even better photos.
Why I Own Instagram Anyway
I dated an influencer once by mistake. Believe it or not it happened when I didn't really know what an influencer was. She was totally crazy as it turned out... she thought that because I was a former neuroscientists I could just "set my mind to it" and help her live forever. Yes she had a god complex. I actually flew to New York to meet her - not in one of those "she tricked you into flying over there" moment... more like I have the money and I wanted a fun story to see if she was for real. She actually really did look as good as the photos, but the problem was her whole life seemed fake. Everything was about image. She was the type to spend hours posed on a sidewalk pretending to cross. Fortunately for me I always wanted to explore New York in winter so I had a great trip, and a heck of a story about a crazy girl to go with it! :)
That said, I wanted to see what the fuss was about, so I installed instagram tentatively, uploaded six photos... scrolled just enough to *get* how people get addicted to it.. and then uninstalled it. Sadly, when I moved to Hawaii in 2020, I realized that heaps of people here use instagram as their primary messaging app. When you ask for someone's details they want you to add them to instagram. Whatever happened to a phone number?! Maybe I'm old school... and WhatsApp seems much less damaging to humanity than instagram, but still. I used it. Worst of all was in June 1, when I realized my Hinge dating app was attached to Instagram, and one girl pointed out that my instagram photos were from 2018. My dating app photos were recent, but apparently I was just getting judged on instagram.
I hate to say it, but instagram is not going anywhere. Depending on where you live, you'll probably have to install it, just to stay in touch with people. Just don't get suckered into spending all your time on there. Get in and out quickly.
Tips and Tricks
How to: Upload photos from your PC to instagram
I was pretty shocked that I couldn't upload pics from my PC, but luckily I found a little "hack" around that. Simply use Chrome, open the Developer Tool and view the page in the mobile layout then refresh... and suddenly the add photo button becomes available. Weird they don't allow it on regular desktop browsing, but this hack works and suspect it always will. Here's a picture to explain the process:
How to: Download a Video From Instagram
Instagram doesn't make it easy to download a video, because they are afraid you then will save or share it in another social media app (their competition). Fortunately there are many online tools that will download for you onto your computer.
For public videos.... just google: "download instagram video". This one works on your laptop:
- igram.io/en/dl/ - go here.
- ... paste in a URL containing your video (eg: "https://www.instagram.com/p/CWQ2rlhlsMm/" ).... or if that doesn't work click the "..." and "".
For private videos... a website won't work, and I wouldn't trust any with your instgram password, so the solution is a Chrome extension. Try this one:
- Instagram Private Video Downloader (Chrome Extension) - primative but seems to work.
Links
- Instagram - Official website of social comparison and evil.
