Are You Following the Unwritten Rules of Instagram?

As a 30-something chick who thinks she's pretty 'with it' when it comes to social media, and, well, life in general, there are those times when a millennial comes along and totally makes me feel like I'm way past my prime of 'with-it-ness' (yup, came up with that one on my own), and should just curl up and wait for the grim reaper to come-a-knocking. That happened recently when I happened upon a discussion about Instagram.

With over 300 million monthly active users on Instagram, if you're not on it, you practically cease to exist. But, while we're all busy posting pics of our jet setting journeys, foodporn, #OOTD's, and humorous meme's, there's no question that the young bloods are dominating the world of the 'gram and have a thing or two to teach the novices out there, so I've compiled some unwritten etiquette you need to know (and start following), like, yesterday - or last year - in order to keep up with the top dogs.

Choose your photos wisely

While it's your own domain to do with as you wish, don't serial post photos from the same event or bathroom photo shoot. There's nothing more irritating than having your feed taken over by someone who posts picture after picture of the same thing. You'll run the risk of being unfollowed, if you haven't already, and you don't want that.

Step up your filter game

Did you know that using the original Instagram filters are completely passé? While they came in handy as a sort of 'starter-kit', the times they are-a-changing, and you need to keep up. Tons of new apps have emerged that offer much better filtering capabilities - and it shows. Some of the good ones are Snapseed, Afterlight, and VSCOcam. Get 'em now!

Don't write a novel

If you have an Instagram account and haven't noticed that it's a photo-based app, then you've missed the point completely. People want photos, not text! Just because there's no word limit on text, that's not a reason or an excuse to create a blog out of it. It's overwhelming and ruins the whole experience. If you want to post lengthy testimonials, case studies, etc., get yourself a website or blog and link accordingly. If you can't even condense it to a tweet-size post, then you might want to reconsider how you're using your social media platforms.

Don't be a passive 'grammer

If you only post twice a year, what's the bloody point?

No need to @ the poster

If you're commenting on a post, you don't need to @ the person who posted. They'll get a notification of your comment.

Keep these tips handy, and chances are you'll fare pretty well with your Instagram efforts.

So, tell me, what are some of your Instagram pet peeves and golden rules? Drop your comments in the box below. Let's make the 'gram a better place!

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About Andrea Antal

Andrea Antal is a freelance copywriter in Dubai, UAE. She works with businesses to enhance their content marketing, including press releases, blog content, social media posts, website copy and articles. She is also the founder of the Dubai Events Network, a web-based marketing company, serving the information needs of Dubai's growing corporate and special event industry. Get in touch with Andrea to discuss your copywriting project today.