Yet we apply them to make ourselves look like we've got something special. Everything becomes "amaaazzing," to put it in the words of graphic design blogger Jack Mancer, who has his own screed about the site. But actually, nothing about it is truly amazing. Some might call the process democratizing—everyone is a professional!—but really, it's a big hoax. Everyone is just pressing buttons to add computer-generated veneers to our mostly mundane lives. There is nothing artsy about that. But we still do it. Is that really better than the rich kids? Sure, we're not embarrassing ourselves by posting extreme wealth we happened into. But what are we posting? And why? At the very least, we're doing it to look artsy; if not that, there is some other, deeper, more sinister thing we're trying to prove, which means we're right up there with the rich kids.

Here are some examples of how we see this playing out on the network:

The Food Pic

Why you post this: This says my food looks cool, therefore it is yummy. Look how well I eat, or how well I cook, or what a foodie I am.

Why this is just like the rich kids: Putting an artsy filter on a pretty photo can make the grossest slosh look like gourmet eats. It does not prove culinary or photographic skill, it proves that you can press a button.

The Look How much Fun I'm Having Pic

Why you post this: To prove you have the best, most social, coolest life, and friends. To prove you are happy and fun.

Why this is just like the rich kids: This also has an underlying tone of flaunting wealth. Fun usually costs money, and it's something not everybody else has.

The Picture of Thing Pic

Why you post this: This proves your fantastic, enviable artistic eye: "I turned a mundane object into art!"

What that is just like the rich kids: See above. Essentially, you're bragging, but without the skills to support it.

Instagram and photo apps like it are shallow mediums that will generate shallow results. They are there for people to showcase something that doesn't deserve a platform. The rich kids are a particularly salient example of how the entire network operates, but those who live in glass houses shot by Instagram shouldn't throw beautifully if artfully filtered stones.

Full disclosure: Yeah, we know. We use Instagram, too. But we're trying to be a little more self-aware these days -- we recognize the photo sharing app for what it is.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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