I’m craving more authenticity on Instagram

Less vitamin gummies and flat tummy teas and more killer stories

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Is anyone else just sick and tired of all the BS and fake behavior on Instagram? From picture-perfect vacation photos to the most killer bikini bodies to hashtag tags for likes, where is the boundary between real and fake? Between staged and candid? I’m craving more authenticity on Instagram.

Even as a self-professed influencer, I don’t get it. I really don’t. What is real? What is fake? Where’s the line? Where are the real stories these days? Where’s the authentic content? Isn’t that what we all want deep down? Real, bona fide, gritty, raw stories?

Or do I want to be skinnier, wealthier, smile-er, more perfect?

As I struggle to reconcile my role in this wild and crazy internet world, where authenticity has become a commodity, I can’t help but wonder how authentic can anything be anymore? Oh god, self-identity crisis INCOMING! Am I fake too?

I'm craving more authenticity on Instagram

How is it mentally right for anyone to see and consume this kind of stuff online OR try and emulate it? No wonder everyone is full of bitterness, stress, and anxiety; me included these days. We constantly bombarded with images and videos of completely unrealistic lives. How can we not compare ourselves to what we are told is the standard online?

I don’t know about you guys, but I begin to notice that the more time I spend exploring on Instagram, the worse it can be for me, especially if I’m not mentally stable, which is to say, a lot of the damn time. I’ve been going through some stuff over the past year, and I’m still pulling myself out of a burnout.

“UGH Liz why aren’t your legs longer and why don’t you have a thigh gap and why didn’t you get a better shot at this place? Why didn’t you think of that first? How did she get that job and I didn’t?”

The list goes on and on and on.

Oh, that’s right, you are short and love burgers and are anxious as all hell.

I'm craving more authenticity on Instagram

If my mental guard isn’t Teflon strong without any cracks, I quickly submit into the mire too. After all, isn’t it much easier to dwell on where you seemingly fail than to sit in your success and own happiness with who you are? Why can’t we just be happy with where we are? Me included?

Remember, comparison is the thief of joy. This is a part of my daily mantra and one of my affirmations I tell myself in the mirror every morning. Yes, I actually do this.

For instance, every morning, I get up and look at myself in the mirror and say (among many things), “you are enough.”

Stop comparing yourself to people on the internet; we’re all stars and doing our best. The hustle to keep up a perfect facade has been killing me for a long time now. I’m craving more authenticity on Instagram and social media; how about you?

Let’s all work together to sharing more of our real selves, not to be afraid, to be honest, and right, and to stop performing and instead be genuine. I’m speaking to myself as much as anyone, as it’s so easy for me to slip into “blogger Liz” and hide behind a shiny face.

I'm craving more authenticity on Instagram

The more and more I dwell on this, the more I think that I really hope my stories and posts have been inspirational, and if anything I’ve ever posted made someone feel like they weren’t good enough or perfect enough, I’m not only heartbroken but so sorry. In conclusion, we’re all wildly imperfect together in this messy world.

So next time you’re scrolling through social media and feel those dark thoughts start creeping in, please remember you aren’t alone; we’re all in this together. And the only thing those diet teas do is provide explosive diarrhea.

And I don’t know about you guys, but I’m dying to see more heart on blogs. I’m CRAVING some damn good stories and authentic pages to follow. I’m craving more authenticity on Instagram! What can I do better? How can I get more real? How do I find my voice again? Inspire me!

Do you guys have any recommendations for creative people who fit the ticket? Who are you enjoying following on Instagram right now? Please leave me a comment and let me know and I’ll share them. 

Come join me at the Travel Bootcamp and learn how to get paid to travel too

I'm craving more authenticity on Instagram

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26 Comments on “I’m craving more authenticity on Instagram

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  1. I hear you Liz!
    To be honest, I’m one of the few travel bloggers that has never been on Instagram.
    Never Ever!

    And I haven’t been tempted.
    Well, I was once, when a blogger friend tried to tell me how if I wasn’t there, I would never succeed!
    Umm. I think being one of only 50 exclusive guests invited to spend an evening with Prince William and Kate Middleton pretty successful. AND having a documentary made about my life as a blogger, in which I was mainly featured. In German no less, pretty nifty! Don’t you think?

    p.s. I’m still not on Instagram. 😀

  2. I really resonate with this post. I think for so long I thought I had to keep up and share the same kind of content as everyone else. It’s bloody exhausting trying to be something you’re not. It’s also mental! I like how I am, so why on earth would that not be enough for my blog or social media pages!? As a professional photographer, I have a lot of appreciation for the platform in terms of being able to see other people’s talent I might never have seen previously, but it’s now overrun with overly edited, pictures of unrealistic “perfection”

    I’ve started following a lot more Instagram pages with far more to them than a perfect figure or endless editing. I like to read the captions, absorb the stories and understand the photo. A mini diay entry or micro-blog is far more fulfilling to me these days. Only recently have I started adopting a no f***s given attitude with my own Instagram and I feel much better for it!

    Keep up your wonderful content though, I thoroughly enjoy it!

  3. Love love love this post! I’m about to take a social media break again because it’s so crazy. I have started to unfollow some accounts that are too “perfect” or negative in general.
    Hugs and keep sharing you!

  4. I commented earlier but not sure it went through, so sorry if this is a duplicate! I want to like Instagram but I roll my eyes at the behavior that gets rewarded. People like the fake, which the algorithm notices, and then the fake gets even more exposure. I have liked posting and being social in the past, but how can you be social if Instagram won’t even show people your post? My best photos barely see the light of day. Why pour your heart into a caption that no one will see? I keep trying to participate, but hardly open the app anymore to be honest. It just isn’t fun or inspiring.

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