Skip to main content

WTF, Internet? Stop tagging me in these horrifying photos I never wanted to see

Instagram Tagging
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You may have seen some news this week about a new Instagram feature: The app now allows you to tag and be tagged in photos. It works exactly like you’d think it would. After uploading a photo, you have the option to add people to it.

Sounds simple enough, right? We’ve been conditioned to accept tagging, be it via Twitter or Facebook, or even Instagram’s former half-hearted option for awhile now.

But note that with this update comes a “Photos of You” tab, where people can see everything that your friends and followers have tagged you in.

Your first reaction might be total acceptance. But your second might be more like mine: Absolute effing horror.

Remember back when Facebook was just college kids? And you would go to parties and hold those red cups and people would take pictures and within what seemed like hours those pictures would be up and on Facebook for the entire world to see? Well back then it didn’t matter: Unless someone was a fellow student, they couldn’t see these incredibly incriminating and embarrassing photos. Tagging – which, mind you, was a totally new concept that everybody went absolutely nuts over – wasn’t a terrifying thought.

Of course, all that has changed. Social media isn’t the youngster, insider game it used to be. Ooooooh no. That was over a long time ago. It was either the day your mom friend requested you’ or when you realized that your former college roommate now works at a legit company that, hey, you’d love to apply to … if only she couldn’t view those pictures of you doing a keg stand.

The point is, Facebook used to be a safe place! It lured us into this false sense of security! Share those photos! There are no consequences! Except, oh wait, yes, there totally are, and it’s the worst. 

Et tu, Instagram?

Same story, different social app. It started out small and exclusive. Grew a tight, loyal community. It was great! Seriously, I feel like a week ago I was all in on Instagram, just thinking, “Aw shucks! I mean, Instagram, you are just … you are just great. With your filters and your relative lack of spam and how no one can privately message me (code for annoy me). Way to keep it simple!”

Why you gotta do me like that, Instagram?

I’m sucker and I got played because YET AGAIN I was sucked in to feeling the freedom. No one can tag me in this noise, so what the hell! You take that picture of me doing a Jager Bomb! Sure, mom and dad, take and post photos of those hideous middle years I’d love to forget! It matters not!

Using my sister as a sacrificial lamb: I don't think she'd love for my dad to be able to tag this Instagram he posted of her.
Using my sister as a sacrificial lamb: I don’t think she’d love for my dad to be able to tag this Instagram he posted of her. Image used with permission by copyright holder

How wrong I was.

So now, in addition to religiously monitoring the photographic evidence of my shenanigans that my “friends” (so they call themselves) post of me on Facebook, Instagram is added to the mix. Gone of the days of a carefree, Amaro-filtered photos of my shambles and derp-ness and enter those wherein I’m compulsively checking my news tab in paranoia.

They can take our Instagram anonymity … but they can never take … our freedom!

Except that yeah, they totally can and just did. 

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
How to change your language in Google Chrome on desktop
Chrome OS

Google Chrome supports a wide range of languages. While it'll default to English in most cases, there's nothing stopping you from changing its settings and displaying pages in Spanish, French, or dozens of other languages.

Changing your default language in Chrome takes only a few seconds, and the technique used is the same across Windows and Mac. Aside from changing your language, note that Chrome now gives you the option to automatically translate pages written in another language – making it easy to read content from around the globe.

Read more
23 of the best Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks
The Netflix home screen.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming platforms for all things movies and TV shows. Home to an immense library of titles, the Netflix archive is constantly changing and evolving, and so are the many ways you can use your Netflix account. 

For instance, did you know you can access region-locked Netflix shows and flicks by using a VPN? Or that you can disable that pesky Autoplay feature? There are tons of Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks out there, so we’ve gone ahead and rounded up all of our favorites! 
Expand your streaming with a VPN

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more