Can we still relate to Instagram content?

I have been taking a back seat recently on both my blog and Instagram almost three months since I have written on here, which is my longest break in over 5 years. One of the reasons for this is because I have sat pondering if I can relate to content creators and if I can’t does that mean that my content is less desirable or worthy? Not a burning question that would stop me doing what I love but more of a niggle.

In a world where Instagram images can create you a whole other life, I want t share my thoughts on if we can still relate to the content we consume. Instagram is an endless sea of designer bags, Gucci belts (which I want), hot spots for photos such as Peggy Porschen or Elan and beautiful girls traveling the world. While you can bet you’ll find me liking these photos because they are stunning and work will have gone into creating them. Is anything we see online anymore completely real or has everything got some artificial element?

I am guilty of it, because I want it to work, to look good and to be worthy, the photo for this post included. But is this wrong, is this relatable and is this what people really want to see? I am starting to think some content creators are so far removed from their audience that viewers now only aspire to live like them or be like them as they would a celebrity rather that find something in their content which is obtainable. Once they may have worn a £30 dress but now it is all recommendations of a £3k bag. The audience may still be loyal but does this jump sometimes alienate them because they can no longer relate?

This post is so open to comments and opinions, my opinion is so on the fence and I am guilty of trying to create content to ‘keep up’ but also like content that I aspire to create. Gone are the days of me just snapping and uploading so much more goes into a photo that I wont post unless it is ascetically pleasing and goes with a theme. I love the raw content though, knowing that people just don’t live this pristine life 100% of the time, say whatever is on their mind and just does whatever they want.

I can’t relate to people traveling to the Maldives constantly, purchasing a high ticket item weekly and attending celebrity parties but yet here I am becoming obsessed with their content. I look at their bikini shots on remote islands and think, wow what can I do to be there, look like that and have this as a job. It is a total window shopping experience where their Mondays involve yoga and then exploring New York while mine involves building a newsletter to send out to thousands of employees around multi cloud at work as I ponder if I will have the time or energy to go to the gym at 6:30pm when my working day is over.

Am I jealous, probably a little but at the same time I see  girl after girl sat in the same spot against a flower wall and think OK I do i need to do that, no! If I want to I will but I don’t have to just because. I want to see all ethnicities, nationalities and styles doing some cool shit with cool brands. Being authentic and having the next face I see when I scroll through my feed, be someone I could work with, a plus sized girl as the face of that campaign or a 30 plus blogger promoting swimwear because they can and you don’t need to be a certain way to be killing it. We shouldn’t limit people or their content to fit the norm because we are all so different that unique is much more exciting than repetition.

Content can be raw unedited or super edited to look a certain way all of it is creative and is yours so own it. Let me know your thoughts, I am really interested to know your opinion too.

Share you Instagram feeds in the comments too, I want to see your amazing content. You can find me at LemonaidLies!