in s igh t
Thirst And Sanctimony On Social Media There’s certainly something beautiful about the shamelessness of Instagays
september / october 2018
By Paul Gallant
Adults used to warn their children, “If you don’t have anything “However, as things have progressed, this identity is moving into nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” (Drag queens, of course, their everyday lives. The main reason why you go to a glamorous advise: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me.”) event is not for the personal satisfaction anymore, it is to share a photograph of the event on Instagram to enhance your identity.… But these days, it seems, the rule is: “If you don’t have something [In real life] their identity is not as easily controlled, forcing them to either arousing or outrage-inducing to put out there, you’re not either change their behaviour in real life to fit their created identity or to close themselves off from the world in fear of showing their trying hard enough.” genuine self.” As a species we are increasingly living our lives online, and to stand out – to even exist, really – we are obliged to create attention-getting It’s not just the Instagays who are having their lives reconfigured social-media fodder. Humans are status-seeking animals, and the by social media. Followers consume these delicious images as we digital realm has given us unlimited opportunities to build alliances might consume porn or a bag of chips – short-lived pleasures that, and attract fawning fans. In the LGBT community, these urges are whether we realize it or not, alter our perceptions of ourselves and most visible in two seemingly unrelated trends: those who live in the world. Earlier this year, Snapchat users were upset when the perpetual thirst, like the sexy shirtless Instagays, and those who app separated friend streams from celebrity streams. CEO Evan live in a cloud of perpetual outrage, like the valiant social justice Spiegel caused even more outrage when he declared: “People are warriors. But they’re really two sides of the same coin. saying, ‘I used to feel like this celebrity was my friend and now they’re not my friend anymore.’ Exactly. They’re not your friend.” My favourite Instagay regularly posts nearly naked photos of When we mix the elite group of Instagays, who live their lives for himself, often with his junk strategically hidden behind a towel, the camera, with our own existence, we are apt to feel inferior – or book or well-placed leg. “No, gentlemen, I do not plan to post submit ourselves to the same regimes. photos showing my dick,” he wrote when he launched his Twitter feed. “If you are here waiting for that, you are wasting your time.” Putting a more unfiltered version of yourself online has risks. On That’s the kinda tease that makes followers check hourly. More Reddit.com/r/lgbt, there’s a trend of young trans/non-binary people skin inevitably equals more likes. Take, for example, Justin and posting selfies with some version of “Do I pass, do I look good?” Nick (@justinickpgh), a marvellously hunky gay couple living Most Redditers are kind enough to respond with something like: in Virginia, with an Instagram following of more than 567,000. “You’re beautiful as you are; passing doesn’t matter.” But one gets Though their photos are always sexy and styled to the max, the shots the feeling that advice on hair length and makeup has more impact, of them wearing only underwear substantially out-like the as if the online world has the right and the capacity to dictate what shots of them partly undressed or, heaven forbid, fully clothed. Justin each of us should be. and Nick together undressed in bed: guaranteed 52K. Justin and Nick outdoors in their clothes: 33K at best. Yes, we’re that shallow. On the surface, sharing opinions on social media seems like a less narcissistic way to gain status and a sense of belonging. But I fear There’s certainly something beautiful about the shamelessness that people are posting to activate the designed-to-be-rewarding of Instagays. They can be their “best” selves in a world where social-media feedback loop, rather than seeing both sides of an LGBT people must often hide or fake their way through life. But argument and offering up a more nuanced, more personal point of it can also be a trap, not only in constantly needing the validation view. We post what gets attention – any kind of attention – rather of likes and retweets – outsourcing one’s self-esteem to others is than the truly complex feelings most of us are saddled with. never healthy – but by ultimately turning into another kind of fake. Both the left and the right become caught up in “virtue signalling,” “By choosing and controlling what is to be shown to others, where prefab opinions are used to quickly categorize and denounce [Instagrammers] can eliminate all the negative aspects of their a person, institution or event (That’s an attack on our rights! That’s lives and persons, and solemnly focus on what is positive,” write socialist! That’s an insult!) rather than exploring causes and solutions. Caroline Garsbo and Emilia Sörensson Wittberger in a 2014 paper Donald Trump’s an outrage, Doug Ford’s an outrage, the police out of Sweden’s Lund School of Economics and Management. are an outrage, the protesters against the police are an outrage,
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