The Fall of Instagram and the Rise of Facebook (Again!)

If you’re like me, you’ve been on Instagram since your cringy middle school days. And you probably remember all the trends on the app like overexposed selfies, Snapchat dog filters, Tumblr-esque posts, late “like for rate & tbh,” follow for following… I digress. Now in the year 2021, it seems Instagram is an app for heavily curated photos and ads to buy more useless stuff that some influencer is pushing. This includes things like “fit” tea -which is actually a laxative that chains you to the toilet for days. Or gummy bears to grow your hair that are just placebos, and waist trainers that promise to remove your waist without taking out your organs. Instagram feels dull compared to apps like Tik Tok that respond more favorably to content you previously liked, and that seemingly gets better with time. Besides using Tik Tok more, and Instagram less, I’ve found myself using an app that I didn’t even remember my password for. Yes,  Facebook. Facebook gained the infamous stereotype of having been taken over by Karens. I am here to tell you that they are still on there, but in smaller numbers and far in between, and if you stumble upon one, you can easily block or unfriend them. Here are some of the reasons why I now prefer Facebook over Instagram.

Niches groups you never knew you needed

Instagram seems like droves of influencers all with the same beige/neutral aesthetic, so bland, and so boring. Yet on Facebook, you can join a group that talks extensively about historical fashion or how to grow your succulents. There are even groups dedicated to photoshopping Disney vacation photos, and one where members pretend to be roommates and post memes about “Nathan forgetting to fill up the Brita :/.” There is no limit to the groups you can join. It feels like Reddit with more pictures, sfw pictures. 

Diverse demographic 

Since it has been advertised as a hipster thing, Instagram demographics reveal that most users are under 25. A vast amount of my followers are between 20-23. And I couldn’t even imagine my mother following my account. It seems like a safe place without adults. On Facebook, however,  I have my old high-school teachers that always have something uplifting to say, my fellow Aggies, and my family that lives far away, all in one platform. When posting an important milestone, it’s nice to have one place where all the people I would like to know can potentially see it.

Facebook drama > Instagram drama

The chisme on Facebook?! LOADS funnier than anything I see on its younger sister app. I love seeing middle-aged women passive-aggressively subtweet another woman on there. The best thing is that it’s always over something harmless like using the “wrong” pan to make a cake or not taking PTA meetings seriously. Instagram, on the other hand, has infidelity, plastic surgery speculation, and thirst traps galore. Me? I prefer to pop some popcorn and watch Gertrude and Sharon go off about which one is the correct knot stitch to use in that scarf. 

Event Planning done easy

One of my favorite things about Facebook is this option to make events and have people RSVP on there. It even has the option to click on: “going,” “interested,” and “not going” to cover all the bases. I’ve found out about events this way. And it reminds me of how cool I felt getting a birthday party invitation in elementary school. Now, I feel cool as a college student with just a click from my iPhone. I have yet to use this feature for my own event. But in there near future, I see myself utilizing it for fundraisers and advocacy work.

Less pretentious 

For my Instagram feed, it can take me about an hour to figure out what photo I would like to post. And that’s not even taking into account the creative caption I need to pull out of thin air and the time I take editing my photo to flow with my feed. I think many of us feel pressured to have an a e s t h e t i c Instagram feed/theme. But on Facebook, the majority of my time interacting with my own posts is responding to sweet comments from my cousins I miss dearly. Facebook seems to be less about the bs regarding photos. But it does have its bs in other forms like political drama…

For a while now, I’ve been feeling like I am betraying my generation by preferring Facebook over Instagram. But there are only so many insta models a girl who went through puberty with 2014-grunge Tumblr can take. I hope that my words of why a silly app that we’ve deemed and joked about being for the old folks can actually be for the young ones too. Overall, I wish all social media apps listen more to what the people want: socialization & fun. In the meantime, catch me stalking Facebook marketplace for a sick coffee table and velvet sofa. 

• The Fall of Instagram and Rise of Facebook (again!