Finstagrams are “private” Instagrams meant only for your closest friends. Many kids just refer to them as their private Instagram account. Here’s the definition from the Urban Dictionary:
“Finstagram, finsta for short, is a mixture of Fake & Instagram. People, usually girls, get a second Instagram account along with their real instagrams, rinstagrams, to post any pictures or videos they desire. The photos or videos posted are usually funny
or embarrassing. Only your closest friends follow this account."
Teens create Finstagrams to have a place where they can be themselves with only their “closest” friends. I talked to a 13-year old named Maya who has two accounts, as do most of her friends. Her Finstagram account has 70 friends while her main “public” account has 800. Maya’s Finsta-friends are people she may regularly hang out with at school or on weekends. Her regular account is not truly public in that she has to accept each person. She says she only accepts people that she knows are at least friends of friends.
Maya only has about a dozen pictures on her regular account, posting maybe once a month. According to her, the types of pictures she puts up have to be “really good.” Every picture is not necessarily a selfie, but each photo is a “beautiful” or artsy shot, whether it is a sunset or a picture of herself that she feels confident people will like. On the other hand, she posts pictures to her Finstagram page every other day. These can be silly shots, or moments that she wants to share with her closest friends. These people on her regular account “get” her and she says she doesn’t feel judged by them so she’s willing to put up many more pictures. She also uses her Finstagram page to communicate to the wider group things like meeting up to hang out downtown. Maya says communicating via Instagram versus group text is easier when you don’t want to get notified over and over, and go back and forth with people.
Ahhh… the intricate life of a teen.
So, today for Tech Talk Tuesday lets talk about private vs public accounts:
October 17, 2016
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Finstagrams are “private” Instagrams meant only for your closest friends. Many kids just refer to them as their private Instagram account. Here’s the definition from the Urban Dictionary:
“Finstagram, finsta for short, is a mixture of Fake & Instagram. People, usually girls, get a second Instagram account along with their real instagrams, rinstagrams, to post any pictures or videos they desire. The photos or videos posted are usually funny
or embarrassing. Only your closest friends follow this account."
Teens create Finstagrams to have a place where they can be themselves with only their “closest” friends. I talked to a 13-year old named Maya who has two accounts, as do most of her friends. Her Finstagram account has 70 friends while her main “public” account has 800. Maya’s Finsta-friends are people she may regularly hang out with at school or on weekends. Her regular account is not truly public in that she has to accept each person. She says she only accepts people that she knows are at least friends of friends.
Maya only has about a dozen pictures on her regular account, posting maybe once a month. According to her, the types of pictures she puts up have to be “really good.” Every picture is not necessarily a selfie, but each photo is a “beautiful” or artsy shot, whether it is a sunset or a picture of herself that she feels confident people will like. On the other hand, she posts pictures to her Finstagram page every other day. These can be silly shots, or moments that she wants to share with her closest friends. These people on her regular account “get” her and she says she doesn’t feel judged by them so she’s willing to put up many more pictures. She also uses her Finstagram page to communicate to the wider group things like meeting up to hang out downtown. Maya says communicating via Instagram versus group text is easier when you don’t want to get notified over and over, and go back and forth with people.
Ahhh… the intricate life of a teen.
So, today for Tech Talk Tuesday lets talk about private vs public accounts:
October 17, 2016
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Snapchat has some pitfalls. I talked to two young adults about things to be aware of when using the app, including exposure to illicit content, the pressure of Snap Scores, and ads for platforms like OnlyFans. I also offer advice on how to help your teen manage their Snapchat usage.
READ MORE >In my latest Podcast, I speak with Anna Lembke, head of addiction medicine at Stanford and author of Dopamine Nation, as well as a young woman who was formally an aspiring influencer and driven by all the likes and such that come with social media. I’d love for you to listen to the podcast. OR, I’ve included the transcript here for you to read it.
READ MORE >While creating the Screenagers movies, I've been alarmed by the number of teens receiving inappropriate messages from strangers on social media. Thankfully, Meta has finally acted, barring 15-year-olds and younger from getting messages from unconnected individuals on Instagram. This long-awaited move is crucial for online safety. In today's blog, I discuss this change and offer essential parenting advice to help keep our youth safe on these apps.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.