Daily Edit

Ever heard of text claw? It’s a real thing. The new millennial disorder that’s caused by holding our smartphones tightly in one hand for a prolonged period. One of the many downfalls of being addicted to our smartphones. Social media, namely Instagram, is to blame for the obsessive relationship we’ve developed. Bingeing on Insta isn’t all bad news because there are many positives that flow from scrolling through our feeds incessantly. If you’re as shocked to hear that as we are, then let’s see what the pro’s and con’s of being utterly obsessed with this app so we can feel a little better about our shameful habit.

Up: You can spin some serious coin

The most notable upside of this platform is the potential it has to propel your business. And not just for bloggers! Small businesses have harnessed the frugal ability to market themselves from the ground up.

Down: You can also waste a lot of money

Now that click through shopping has been enabled, more and more products are being marketed to your subconscious. Before you know it you’re at a sites checkout putting in your credit card details without actually thinking the purchase through.

Up: It’s inspiring

The stimulating visual content is what pulls in you. There’s plenty of beautiful accounts that will inspire you whatever your interest may be. For example, if you wanted to become a vegetarian then following the veggie bloggers would help your transition or relying on daily motivation from the uplifting quote accounts. You catch out drift; Instagram is a tremendous resource.

Down: It’s counterproductive

There is a danger period when scrolling for five minutes waiting for the bus turns into spending a solid hour on it. And if you find yourself on it before bed, then bye bye sleep, because you’ll be an insomniac before you know it – whoops! So as fun as it may be initially, it can also take procrastination to whole new level.

Up: It’s a graphic journal

If you’ve been using it to document your life, uploading pics at events and weekend brunches then it serves as a visual timeline of your life, which is a nice thing to have now that we don’t compile physical photo albums anymore.

Down: It can give you social anxiety

We all know our virtual lives are far more attractive than real life. We’ve gotten to the point where no matter where we are (even a technology free yoga retreat) we feel the need to show off what we’re doing. It’s an ego thing that can be quite destructive to our self-esteem, especially when we forget that all the posts on there are generally contrived.

Up: You can connect with likeminded biddies

Instagram is a great place to interact with others who have the same interests as you. No matter what you’re passionate about (be it pictures of cool floors – random but it’s a thing) there’s others out there to partake in the fun when your friends aren’t so inclined.

Down: You can be subject to trolls

If you happen to garner a following, you will also attract some attention. And unfortunately it’s not all love heart and thumbs up emoji’s. There are some really belligerent haters out there that will have no qualms attacking you. All we can say is: don’t retaliate!

Words by Jennifer Aitken