A fake Instagram account, or Finsta, is a new trend in social media that offers an alternative to expressing oneself through a single Instagram account.
“A Finsta is just an Instagram where people are able to express a more in-depth persona,” said Kyle Izquierdo,a sophomore IT Management major.
Originally created to escape parents’ and other professionals’ invasions of social media platforms like Facebook and subsequently Instagram, fake Instagram accounts have morphed into a place of relative freedom crawling with alter egos and ruled by anonymity.
Usually a second Instagram account, Finstas are used for sharing chronicles of silly pictures, debauchery, rants and other information with a smaller group of followers.
When asked about how popular Instagram accounts were on campus, Jamie Paddock, a sophomore social and behavioral Studies major with a Finsta account, said, “I think fake Instagram accounts are very popular, especially in my friend group. I know plenty of people on the Seton Hall campus with Finstas, as well as in my high school.”
When asked his opinion of the Finstas he’s been allowed to follow, Izquierdo admitted, “Some of them are more creatively ambitious than their owner’s more professional accounts,” he said. Izquierdo added, “Finstas usually have a theme. They are often more humorous too, since people feel comfortable sharing that side of themselves.”
A safe zone where only a few friends or strangers have access to your account can be highly beneficial, both socially and on a professional level.
According to Paddock, “Anything connected to you can affect employability. That is what’s so appealing about Finstas, there is a certain level of anonymity attached to them that allows you to navigate the web without putting your work life in jeopardy.”
When asked whether or not she would recommend Finstas to young professionals such as herself, Paddock’s response was a resounding yes, “You can grow out of your comfort zone and it’s a great way to validate yourself without society’s pressure of always appearing perfect.”
Perle Desir can be reached at perl.desir@student.shu.edu.
