Finstagram: Pimples instead of filters
For the younger generation, Instagram has become a calling card; a kind of life résumé à la: «This is me. This is my life. Jealous?» But life isn't just about great parties, trendy clothes and sunny-side-up selfies. That's probably what some teenagers in the United States thought when they got tired of maintaining their boring, perfect online avatars. They started creating so-called «finstagrams»: fake Instagram accounts; the word is derived from «fake Instagram». On these blocked, pseudonymous accounts, they showed their real selves to a select circle of friends - the reality that the «followers» of their Instagram account never got to see.
Hidden second account
US teenagers are now posting pictures on Finstagram, Instagram's hidden second account, that they would otherwise rather delete from their mobile phones very quickly. If you translate Finstagram into German, it is, as mentioned, the «fake» sister of Instagram. Actually confusing. Because the whole point is that unadorned pictures are posted on «Finsta» - in other words, the real thing. Filters and post-processing are taboo - just the thing for anyone who has had enough of posed and edited pictures. Here you can really let off steam and be «real» without all the online staging. In the United States, more and more teenagers are creating accounts like this. In contrast to the main account, this second Instagram account does not aim to collect as many followers as possible. It's more about being real. On Finstagram, teenagers show their unadorned self-portraits. Only a select handful of very, very close friends have access to this account. In other words, people that the teenagers trust without fear of making a fool of themselves and being ridiculed on social networks.
No rules?
Different rules apply on «Finsta» than on Instagram. For example, you should be cautious and never post more than once a day. It is also acceptable to share a series of banal pictures - unspectacular screenshots or unflattering selfies, for example. Just real life. Finstagram is not yet an issue for teenagers in Switzerland. It seems that this trend has not yet reached us. I asked a 16-year-old teenager who actively uses Instagram about this. She admitted: «Yes, my friends and I think very carefully about which pictures we post. And we always edit them. After all, we want to present ourselves in a good light.» When asked what she would think of a Finsta account, she explained: «Maintaining a second account in addition to my actual account would be too much work for me. But what if everyone suddenly did that? Maybe then I would reconsider.» Even if Finstagram has not yet found its way into our lives, it can be a good opportunity for parents to discuss a new digital phenomenon with their own teenagers. For once, without any finger-wagging.
On Medienstark you will find tips and interactive learning modules for the competent use of digital media in everyday family life. swisscom.ch/medienstark