Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, “Wow, I wish my crush could see how great I look today!” or been out with friends and thought, “I wish my ex could see how much fun I’m having without him,” and then posted a photo on Instagram in hopes of that special someone coming across it?
Well, we have good news and bad news for you, my friend.
The bad news? You’ve just participated in the next hottest dating trend on our list, coined by the experts here at Plenty of Fish: Instagrandstanding
Instagrandstanding (/insta-grand-stand-ing/)
Posting on your social feed, specifically for one person’s benefit
Photo by Daniel Lincoln on Unsplash
The good news? You’re definitely not alone. POF research reveals that 55% of surveyed singles admit to taking part in this trend, 59% believe they have been on the receiving end, and 61% know someone who has spent their time Instagrandstanding.
“So if everyone’s doing it, what’s the big deal?”
Well, as genius an idea as your carefully curated feed might seem, here are some reasons to reconsider hopping on this new trend.
The person you posted for may not even see your post
The truth is, no matter how much you tailor a post for a specific person, you truly have no control over whether or not they’ll actually see it or even know it was meant for them to see. Going through all the effort to send a message to someone who may never receive ends up being time wasted that could have been spent actually experiencing the moment you’re trying to post.
It can lead to unnecessary bad blood
If your goal is to Instagrandstand your ex into fits of jealousy, or rub a new relationship in their face, we promise you that your time is better spent elsewhere. Even if your last relationship didn’t end on great terms, there’s no sense rubbing salt in the wounds of your break-up and manifesting extra drama where it doesn’t need to be.
Direct communication is always going to leave the most lasting impression
Using your feed to try and get an admirer to notice you can be a lot of effort with little to no reward, not to mention it can end up taking ages to start talking to that special someone with this tactic. Our suggestion? Take a leap of faith and message them directly! Even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll have put yourself out there and saved precious time and energy in the process!
You should be posting for YOU, not for someone else
The bottom line is that your social media should be a reflection of yourself and the things that are important in YOUR life, not someone else’s. As much as it might be tempting to add a sassy caption on your latest selfie that subtly takes a jab at an ex, or go out of your way to capture a moment that isn’t genuine, fight the urge! We promise you’ll thank us later.
