ScottSauselen's review of Instagram
Date last edited: 05-30-2024 at 10:24PM
Rating: Teen
Review:
Scott Sauselen
Catholic Worldview Media
May 30, 2024
App
Title: Instagram
Developer: Meta Platforms Inc.
Genre: Social Media
My Rating: 3 Stars
Primary Audience: Teens
Version: 317.0. 0.34. 109 for Android and version 318.0 for iOS
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: Free
Introduction
Instagram is a social media app where users can post pictures and short videos to their profiles as a way to share their lives with others. Instagram was originally used as a way to keep family members and friends that you do not see often updated on your life, and with the ability to like and comment on content, a way to keep them as an active part of your life too. Another way people view Instagram is as a digital photo album where you can store memories and share them with others. However, while Instagram is still used for those purposes today, it has also evolved into an app where people can post creative content and build up a community of people with similar interests. Instagram is an app with many possibilities and using the seven media keys is an effective way to learn about all that Instagram has to offer.
First Media Key: Balance
Balance is the First Media Key. Balance is often described as the foundation of the seven media keys and is used to determine if a form of media is well rounded or not. Determining this factor is done through the process of looking at the media project from all angles and perspectives. When doing this we need to stay informed on what is going on in the world so we can ask questions such as what was the intention of the creator and then be able to relate our findings to the modern day world. People’s usage of Instagram has a solid mixture of both positive and negative tendencies but the app was created with the positive intention of providing its users with a social media platform that could be used as a digital scrapbook made for sharing your life with family and friends.
Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness
Attitude Awareness is the second Media Key. Every media maker has an attitude and it is their responsibility to display a positive attitude rather than a negative one. When viewing media we need to be aware of the values and messages the creator is expressing because of how what they are saying can impact us. Being able to recognize an agenda being forced into a creation will help us be less susceptible to its influences and biases. Instagram is a platform where anyone and everyone can be a creator with the freedom to post with any agendas and biases they desire as long as it does not exceed Instagram’s guidelines. This leaves the people with the responsibility of giving the app a positive, judgment free attitude that a user would want to experience while using a social media platform. However, people on Instagram in modern day have been failing for the most part to keep the attitude of the app positive as it is becoming known for its brutal and offensive comment section where people go to argue against creators who have agendas they disagree with. However, with bad there is always good and there are some accounts on Instagram that have a very positive following that fill their comment sections with compliments and words of encouragement, but as the app continues to grow, accounts like this have become more and more rare.
Third Media Key: The Dignity of the Human Person
The Dignity of the Human Person is the third Media Key. It is a responsibility for media creators to always treat people with respect and dignity. Media should lead people to become more spiritually mature, aware of the dignity of humanity, more responsible and more open to others. Media should promote an understanding of human feelings and emotions and should stray away from objectifying and being hurtful to others. Instagram as an app has been known for its users not always remembering to treat people with dignity and respect and for bullying others online for various reasons. One main issue that happens is users see pictures of people and since they do not know them personally they see them as just an image on a screen. This makes it easy for users to objectify people by critiquing them for how they look and dress. This creates an unhealthy system for both the viewer and the creator as the viewer becomes more acostom to negative behavior because they can comment whatever they want with little consequence and the creator becomes discouraged from the hateful comments. However, if viewers on instagram use the comment section as a place for encouragement, compliments and constructive criticism, then the app would instead be encouraging creatives to master their arts instead of tearing them down.
Fourth Media Key: Truth-Filled
Truth-Filled is the fourth Media Key. Media creators have a responsibility to make truthful content and stray away from spreading rumors and false truths. Media should be used as a way to help spread truthful news amongst people and help people grow in a connection to God and the Church. Instagram can be used as a good place to keep up with the news and current events, but it needs to be done by an account that cites their sources and remains truthful and as unbiased as possible. However, it is very dangerous to trust news from social media because it is very easy for people to go on a social media platform and say whatever they want, whether it’s truthful or not, with the intention of persuading people with false information. It is also important to keep in mind that rumors spread very quickly across social media so it is also possible that someone could unintentionally be posting false information they got from someone else because they thought what they were seeing was truthful because they did not bother to check for sources. When posting news related information or information on a celebrity or another person it is vitally important to remember to cite sources and post with the intention of informing others and not with the intention of trying to tear down or manipulate people.
Fifth Media Key: Inspiring
Inspiring is the fifth Media Key. Media has the possibility of inspiring people in either a positive or negative light. Media at its best will inspire people to better their lives, grow closer to God and point the direction towards Heaven. Media at its worst will inspire people to live lives of evil with more destructive and negative behaviors. A media creator's number one goal at all times should be to inspire people to use what God has provided them, whether it be talents or success, and use it to help better their lives and the lives of others. Instagram is an app with the potential to inspire both creators and viewers to follow their passions. A positive way people are inspired by Instagram is when they find an account that shows someone doing something that both the creator and the viewer are passionate about. This will lead to the viewer helping build up the creator by giving positive feedback while the viewer becomes inspired to do what they are passionate about from seeing the success of others. Instagram also has an algorithm that provides users with content that they enjoy and engage with so viewers can be provided with many creators who make content that interests them and inspires them to further pursue what they are passionate about.
Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed
Skillfully Developed is the sixth Media Key. It is important to a creator that if they want to create something that people will pay attention to and enjoy, that it then needs to meet the current quality standards set by today's society. It is one of the priorities of the Church to enforce that media should always be produced well and developed with time, skill and effort. Instagram is a place where people can post whatever they want, so if they are going to take time out of their day making something to be seen by people online, they are more likely to create content that they are passionate about. If people choose to make content they are passionate about they are most likely going to make it with as much quality as possible because it is something they love. It is also known by the creator that what they upload to Instagram will be seen by many who will not hold back from judging their creations honestly and sometimes harshly which is another incentive to make their media with skill and of quality.
Seventh Media Key: Motivated by and Relevant to Experience
Motivated by and Relevant to Experience is the seventh Media Key. Media should be rooted in the realities of the world and in a language we understand. It should also appeal to its viewers through ways that are familiar to them such as their senses, emotions, thoughts and actions. Media should always strive to be both relevant and relatable. For creators on Instagram, a goal is to get views and likes and a smart strategy to help make that happen is by making content that is relatable to the viewers. Instagram does not struggle with having relatable content and is full of posts and reels that serve the main goal of being relatable. Much of what is provided on a user's home page is also relevant to them and the things they enjoy because of Instagram’s algorithm which provides viewers with content they are most likely to gravitate towards.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Instagram is an app with many possibilities and using the seven media keys is an effective way to learn about all that Instagram has to offer. While Instagram offers its users lots of creative freedom it is important to remember that there is and will always be many responsibilities when creating media. While Instagram can be seen as a platform for a lot of negative content it can also be utilized as a way to inspire people and share what you love with others as long as you do so responsibly and with the understanding that not everyone online will always agree with you and not all negative feedback should be taken to heart.
Seven Keys:
Balanced:
Attitude:
Personal:
Truth-filled:
Inspired:
Skillfully Made:
Experienced:
Overall Rating: 19/35
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