Saying Bye To Instagram?

It was midnight. I was lying in bed, aimlessly scrolling through Instagram and thinking to myself...

"Wow. Look at this. Look at their feed. Look at their life!"

Then I stopped and thought...

"Why am I doing this?"

I love photography. Ever since I bought a 'proper' camera I haven't looked back. It comes everywhere with me to snap away at landscapes, wildlife and any people who are willing to pose in front of the lens. 

I don't love Instagram, anymore. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand the purpose of it in the blogging field. In an industry where a lot of the success is based on the aesthetics of a person's work, it is undoubtedly valuable. I love the artistic side of it, where people can showcase their work and ideas with an audience who are interested.

I'm talking more about my personal Instagram, the one where I follow friends from school and university, and everyone shares how they're (seemingly) loving life at whatever point they're currently at in their lives. 

I began to think, what's the purpose of all this? 

Why do we post pictures of the best versions of our lives for everyone to see?

For gratification?

To show off?

Or to simply share what we're doing?

Let's give an example. The other day, my beautiful best friend Hebe (have a looksie at her blog here) left a packet of biscuits on my desk with a lovely note, to surprise me when I returned from lectures. 

It made my day. 

So what did I do?

I shared it to my story on Instagram. 

But why?

Then I started to think. What if someone viewed that and had the exact same feelings as I've experienced whilst scrolling through feeds. What if they began to doubt their friendships, even for a split second, or their personal experiences, as a result of me sharing the best bit of my day?

I don't want to do that.