This week, Lady Gaga posted a photo to Twitter showing what appears to be an email from Instagram saying members of the Instagram community had expressed concern about her. The Gaga was not impressed.
https://twitter.com/ladygaga/status/390513402512023552
Lady Gaga has been posting some emo pictures on Instagram of late, so it’s likely users reported her as at risk to self-harm.
Here are a few of the photos that may have raised questions, though they don’t appear all that worrisome:
It’s heartening to think that Instagram sends messages to users who are possibly at-risk, although it’s unclear whether this was a unique situation or if the company has reached out to other users who have raised concerns among the community. Lady Gaga has over 2 million followers on Instagram, so whatever she posts has a huge audience — far larger than the average Instagram user, so it’s more likely that she’d have at least a handful of people expressing concern anytime she posted anything that revealed distress.
A common thread is that we use sites like Instagram and Facebook to establish a highlight reel of our lives, focusing on our accomplishments and triumphs, and minimizing our lower moments. It’s how many people use these services, putting a digital gloss on their days.
But others treat social media as a platform for confessions — just look at Donald Glover’s recent Instagram spree, where he posted pictures of extremely personal notes he wrote on hotel stationary.
Whether Glover received a concerned message from Instagram is unknown. What is clear, though, is that Instagram isn’t the harbor of all things filtered and glossed over; while most celebrities’ Instagram feeds might make us feel jealous or less-than, it’s interesting that some are beginning to share these bits of reality. And if Instagram is indeed noting any signs of dangerous levels of distress, then there’s another silver lining to this possible trend.
