Insta Versus 'Finsta' : The Pitfalls and Positives of Secondary Social Media Accounts

Note: Firstly just wanted to apologise for this post being huuugely delayed (embarrassingly so). I had a very busy summer in which my days were dedicated to writing my MA dissertation and I didn't want this post to be rushed at all. Secondly wanted to thank all the lovely people who answered some questions for me surrounding the topic of this post. I loved reading all your replies and I found them all so interesting and insightful!!

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Spam/ finsta or private accounts (as they will be referred to for the rest of this post) are  secondary accounts people have on Instagram for posting content for a smaller selection of close friends. The appeal is clear with the content usually being filled with rants about your Deliveroo driver mixing up your order as well as 'fun' content from parties which serves as a welcome break from the influencer inspired culture a lot of us succumb to nowadays on 'main' accounts. 

"It's a place to vent and be funny"

I've never had a private account on Instagram (I can barely be bothered to keep up with the one I have) yet earlier this year I found myself wanting to create a space for more personal photos and thoughts that I don't really feel comfortable with sharing to random people I spoke to for 20 mins in a smoking area. I thought about making a second account and having close friends and family on there for a few days but then I started to weigh up the pros and cons. I'm quite bad for wanting to overshare online but I never actually go through with it (my Twitter is probably the closest I get because I only have a small group of people on there and also it seems like more of a 'real' space compared to Instagram) and I got worried I'd start oversharing completely if I made a private instagram account and I eventually decided against it. 

This thought process made me think about the people who I know in my own life who have finsta or 'spam' accounts on Instagram, what I've seen them post on there and whether they feel like they have had overall positive or negative experiences with them. I've seen posts of people filming themselves crying but also funny videos of nights out on people's private accounts, and I wondered if this safe 'real' space for people sometimes crosses the line into an even more toxic culture than the faux rosy filtered lives we push on 'main' Instagram accounts. Do we need to make our Instagram accounts a truly 'real' depiction of our lives and why do people feel so uneasy about posting 'imperfect' content to one account but not the other?

**** THE FOLLOWING SECTION CONTAINS QUOTES AND EXPERIENCES FROM PEOPLE WITH PRIVATE ACCOUNTS****

From my personal experience and from the answers of respondents, the majority of people create these accounts when they are in their mid to late teens; a time that is critical in self identity and developing emotional maturity. A lot of respondents said they made the accounts due to their friends and social circle making similar accounts and they felt they wanted to be included in this new wave of social media use, yet some also said they made their accounts due to work commitments (with agencies and employers now even suggesting it) meaning their 'main' account had to be squeaky clean; a viewpoint I'd previously never thought of. 

"My modelling agency told me it would be better to make a 'finsta' as my instagram has to be more professional, not showing me in a bad light (drinking and smoking etc)"

Despite being on the same platform, finsta owners seemed to all share the opinion that they wish they could feel comfortable and confident enough to post their 'spam' content on their main account yet mentioned that they felt they would be judged and therefore hold back on sharing the realities of their life that aren't that perfect. The accounts are seen as as a behind the scenes of their friends' real lives with there being an almost clique mentally to it, with users only granting their closest friends' follow access to their accounts and them being in control of who gets to see the unfiltered version of 'them' online. 

"[There is] some sort of weird trust thing where if they see your vulnerable moments you can see theirs" 

As previously mentioned the accounts are used for a place to vent and see their friends venting, with some mentioning the accounts serve almost like an open diary in which they could express their feelings and talk about their days and also see their friends' lives and feelings. The emotionally open nature of the finsta therefore allows for communication and support networks to be found easier, as if users feel increasingly comfortable posting that they are struggling mentally or even just having one bad day their friends will be increasingly likely to notice and reach out to check on them compared to if they were just seeing the superficial, filtered and perfect version of their friends' lives on their main accounts. 

On the flip side of this however, finsta's allow users to easily overshare and subsequently potentially fuelling negative thoughts through the dystopian fact that depressing and self-depreciating thoughts and photos of yourself crying are ultimately getting attention and likes. The majority of respondents stated that they felt they didn't tend to overshare and if they did then they would delete the post, however many people found it was quite common to see their friends sharing too much which made them sometimes feel uncomfortable and somewhat drained. 

"Posting 'I’m so ugly' or 'I’m so annoying' every day makes the issue more prominent once you’ve given it existence on a screen"

Continuing from this point, I asked those who had a finsta whether they had ever gone too far and posted something that they regret. There was quite a mixed response to this, with some saying no as whatever they had posted was how they felt at that time combined with the fact that they have also only accepted those who they feel truly comfortable with to see these posts. However some users complained of becoming too comfortable with their posts and account leading to them impulsively posting something, their then friends interacting with the post and then them feeling like they are obliged to keep it up due to these interactions. However again there is another side to this, with one user who admitted they sometimes struggle with poor body image (as we all do) uploaded a picture in which they are not fully comfortable with their body, but seeing how their friends focused on the funny side to the photo (which was the goal of the post) proved to them that people don't notice the imperfections that you obsess over yourself. It's quite easy to fall into a perfection trap on social media with everyone putting out their singular best photo out of the 90 that were taken and this example shows how finstas positively help tackle this needless seriousness in the modern online world, as well as proving your friends don't (or at least shouldn't) care about any of the imperfections that you see in yourself. Something that is quite important to remember. 

However with the real representation of our lives on finstas come also the real problems. It is easier to fall into a bitchy group chat mode but on an even wider scale with finstas. People can laugh with their friends about certain groups of people or individuals and it is enclosed within a space that is supposedly secure with only people the owner trusts seeing these posts. However it's not uncommon for people to fall in and out of friendships, especially at the age that a lot of the accounts are being created, and therefore a few respondents stated they had (or knew of people who had) posted something talking or laughing about someone. Secondly, the gatekeeping nature of finstas also furthers this issue with bitchiness, slight bullying and cliquey-ness. Due to the noted fact that owners usually prefer to only allow their closest friends to follow, it is easy to question relationships and friendships when you are not seen as worthy to be apart of these groups. You almost feel like you are missing out on something or that that person does not see you as a close enough friend to allow you into their own little bubble. Although I have never had a finsta and none of my oldest friends do at all (we all just about missed out on the hype) I can see this being a real issue and it was something that was also mentioned by a couple of the respondents with them stating they sometimes feel bad for not accepting certain acquaintances. These two factors can lead to more issues and strains with real-life relationships rather than benefitting them in any way.

There are clear arguments for and against finstas and I appreciate them providing a safe space for the 'real' you but I also think we should work to get Instagram as a platform back to being more realistic and fun overall, even for 'main' and primary accounts.  There's surely something seriously wrong if we are seeing our real lives as too imperfect and unworthy to post on our 'main' accounts and repressing ourselves on one account but them completely letting loose on another. I also believe that frequently those (especially younger users) with finstas don't realise they are oversharing when they are as they are so caught up in their emotions yet at the same time I'm undecided as I do understand how they can work as a way to express pent up emotions and ask for help without feeling awkward. 

I wanted to write this post to make younger readers and even those like myself who have thought about making a finsta, briefly aware of the pros and cons of these accounts. I think it's an important aspect to ongoing the social media and cyber optimist and pessimist debate that should be discussed more. If any of you have any thoughts about the subject of this post let me know! 

Thanks for reading and thank you to all the respondents who helped me gain insight that allowed me to write this piece.