Asking your friend to take a photo of you standing against a wall decorated in wall art and graffiti or trying to get the most picturesque photo of you sipping on an ice coffee in one of the most beautiful artisanal coffee stores and inevitably, after 100 photos, there is still not one picture that is just right. Scrolling through the million photos you have just taken and trying to use your editing apps to touch up the filters and lighting. You have probably experienced this too. We’ve all been there. We have all heard or used the phrase “do it for the ‘gram”. We are constantly striving to get that ONE good picture to post all over our Instagram. Since we have become obsessed with using social media and posting selfies, an obsession regarding how we look and how we present ourselves to the world have increased dramatically. Psychology Bulletin conducted a study in 2018 with raw data that emphasizes that social media pressures young adults to perfect themselves in comparison to others, inevitably making them dissatisfied with their own bodies and overall increasing social isolation.
The youth today are competing with each other in a race to meet social standards and certain social pressures in order to succeed. The youth craves perfectionism in order to gain a feeling of safety and stay socially connected. Social media influencers and users only aim to show one side of their life, the perfect parts. They do not let others into their personal sides that may not be that glamorous. We have all felt the pressure to delete the blurry photo and re-take a photo that is clear with good lighting.
But, it seems there is a new trend rising. Now, disposable cameras seem to be making a comeback. With influencers like David Dobrik creating specific instagram accounts dedicated to disposables. In 2019, Dobrik created an account called @davidsdisposables which featured only photos taken on his disposable camera. Luckily, he wasn’t the only celeb hopping onto this trend – Gigi Hadid began her disposable camera feed soon after! After a few months, Dobrik created his disposable aesthetic into a photo editing app called “Davids Disposables”. This app allowed users to only take photos through a little window on the screen and you can only see the pictures you took the next day when it “develops”.
“You don’t worry about how it looks, you capture the moment, and then you keep going” says Dobrik. This app is really cool, it turns your phone screen into an old-school Fujifilm and makes it really feel like the ‘90s.
This trend is rising because with an iPhone, you can review and agonize over the million imperfect photos as soon as you take them. But, with a disposable, you have no clue how they are going to turn out.
I personally deleted my Instagram account in 2017 to begin a new Instagram aesthetic that was based upon my personal brand. I wanted to aim for perfect pictures that looked professional and aesthetic. It’s a sad reality because we often forget about the joy behind just taking candid photos and keeping the memories.
Now, forget taking hundreds of iPhone photos with the same pose and then editing them with your airbrush photo apps. Many Gen Z’s and Millennials are into the grainy light streaked aesthetic now, making it so much fun to use disposables!
Let’s start capturing our friends in their most candid and spontaneous moments!