Why you should consider a non-aesthetic Instagram feed

Since its debut in 2010, Instagram and its users have witnessed a plethora of transformations, algorithm changes (typically coupled with backlash), and countless updates. Over the past decade, the platform has also seen reinventions of what and how we post.   

Set behind the backdrop of that classic brown vintage camera icon, Instagram was once a collection of friends, food, and oversaturated duck-faced selfies. As the app rapidly grew, what started out as a spontaneous online photo album quickly turned into a place of curated, planned, posed and perfectly aesthetic content. Influencers and celebrities took center stage of our feeds, typically alongside a #ad.

But somewhere along the way, this highly aesthetic performance of our everyday lives hit a turning point. The year 2020 brought with it a new way of life, the not-so-glamourous lockdown lifestyles we had to adapt too, weren’t reflective of the glossy, idyllic, narrative of our Instagram feeds – which quickly became out-of-touch, unattainable, and rather dull.

It was during this time that we heralded in a new era of “casual Instagram” with scandi-chic influencers Matilda Djerf and Engla Löf, LA “cool-girl” Emma Chamberland, all the way to Stranger Things actress Maya Hawke, embracing these nonchalant, non-aesthetic shots of everyday existence – and it quickly caught on.           

Filtered and face-tuned photos have now been swapped for snaps of the everyday. In fact, spontaneous photos of food and friends have once again found their place among our Instagram feeds and stories, holding back on the duck-faced selfies for now. Even celebrities such as Dua Lipa and Kendall Jenner are jumping on the trend with their own blurred monthly photo dumps.

It may appear that we’re taking Instagram less seriously which many are optimistic about. Experts have often warned about the negative impacts of the perfectly curated world of social media, with research carried out by the Education Policy Institute and The Prince’s Trust revealing that heavy social media use was linked to negative well-being and self-esteem in young people. 

Casual Instagram aims to flip this pursuit of perfection on its head and hold a mirror up to the instant, realistic, fun, and accidently beautiful moments of life – flyaways and all. With the ‘golden rule’ being to take the pressure off using social media, by sharing what you want, how you want.

However, the aesthetic move has sparked some scepticism, viral TikTok user @cozyakili shared his views on the new casual Instagram aesthetic, saying in a video that “Casual Instagram is an even greater performance, and that’s a fact,” he continues to argue that “In photo dumps, you’re still curating and narrativising your life through photos. Maybe they’re not super edited and maybe they’re not posed, but they’re still strategically selected and put together to convey a specific message.”

There’s no denying that casual Instagram is performative, there’s a fine balance between candid and beautiful, and the curated portrayals and performances of ourselves will be a hard habit to shake.

Yet, there’s an element of creativity which has returned to our feeds. It’s seemingly more relaxed and quite frankly fun to look at and curate. Scrolling through now I’m faced with shots of funny faces, half eaten plates of pasta, lipstick marks on coffee cups, and blurred friends walking home at dawn.

Instagram is a photo album. If you think that in years to come when you look back at your life (or perhaps your children or even great-grandchildren are faced with your feed) would you not prefer to have captured the sporadic, gleeful, moments, rather than the aesthetic, posed and facetuned?