SEO: Students have differing opinions on Instagram posts Instagram trends reviewed by students Students discuss what photos to post and what photos to delete By Katherine Brown As students walk through campus, they cant avoid others taking photos of almost

anything. Crop it, filter it, post it, these are the steps that Instagram, the popular photo-

sharing application, gives to allow its users to turn a generic photograph into a

masterpiece. Though many students use this popular

application, they differ on what subjects they consider

worth sharing.

A shift from creative to repetitive

Bridget Weiler, a senior chemical engineering

major, expresses the popular opinion that college students

enjoy Instagramming themselves with other people. I

usually post pictures with my friends, she says.

Instagram is a social media app so it helps me stay

updated on other people.

Many users like Weiler enjoy Instagram for its

socially-driven photo sharing. However, the photos people share have begun to become

repetitive. Connor Welch, a junior chemical and biomedical engineering major agrees, I

feel like food and sunsets are always in my newsfeed. But Im definitely most sick of

seeing selfies.

(more)

Daniel Healy is sick of seeing selfies Photo by Katherine Brown

K.Brown, Instagram, p. 2

To selfie or not to selfie?

It is difficult to ignore the selfie trend. The

2013 Oxford Dictionarys Word of the Year elicits

polarizing responses from Instagram users. A

phenomenon perpetuated by millennials, a selfie is a

picture that the photographer captures of just himself, usually with a mobile device.

Many students have developed an aversion to the photo style. I could never imagine

posting a selfie seriously, says Emily Basemen, a

sophomore government and politics major. There are

just so many other things in the world worth sharing.

Daniel Healy, a sophomore, describes how he will

end a social media relationship over a selfie, Usually if

someone posts a selfie, Ill just immediately unfollow

them.

The vanity of seflies does not deter all users.

Caroline Nunberg, a sophomore biology major, remains a

proponent of the images. I love posting pictures of just

myself. Id rather look at an original picture someone took of themself than just a boring

rainbow or flower I can look up on the Internet.

(more)

I could never imagine posting a selfie seriously - Emily Baseman, sophomore government and politics major

Caroline Nunberg poses for a selfie posted on her Instagram account Source: Facebook | Photo by Caroline Nunberg

K.Brown, Instagram, p. 3

Though college students have split opinions, the controversial trend constitutes a

vast amount of the photos posted to Instagram. Artist, Tyler Madsen constructed a

website to visually demonstrate this enormous number. Selfeed, displays every photo

posted to Instagram under the #selfie in real time, sharing thousands of selfies is just

minutes.

According to Instagram, over 150 million people use the application. Of the 60

million photos posted each day, many consist of selfies or over-photographed sunsets.

Despite differing views on what users should share, students will continue to post

whatever catches their peers attention.

###