Instagram "Don'ts"

Now, let's talk about Instagram. Lately, it has become my favorite, FAVORITE social channel. I love peeking at the daily goings-on of my friends and the brands I like. But.

But...

There are a few things that make me hit the unfollow button quicker than you can say "cheese". Now, I'm sure I'm guilty of a few of these myself from time-to-time, but for some, it's an everyday occurrence. In no particular order, here are some of the things that irk me to no end:

1. A paragraph of hashtags. When you have to take out an entirely separate comment from the caption and designate it for a blooming paragraph of hashtags, you need to stop. Seriously. I find myself scrolling down through 85 hashtags with ANY and EVERY possible word that might have something (and that's a giant "might"), just to leave a comment. 

Example: Someone posts a photo of a burrito with the caption "YUM!" 

Below it:

#burrito #mexifood #yum #yummy #yummyyummy #cheese #beans #glutenfree #paleo #ilovepaleo #myfavoritecolorisblue #theplateisblue #dogs #rocketscience #love #ChuckNorris #iforgotwhatImtalkingabout

Get my drift?

One or two, maybe even three hashtags? Okay. More than that? Quit. 

2. Tap my pic and I might tell you where I got my shirt. I'm fine and great with the Like to Know It thing. Pretty handy, in fact. I've even used it myself a few times to track down pieces I like. But there are bloggers who will flat out refuse to tell you where they got a piece of clothing unless you tap their photo. What happened to the olden days where we all just interacted with each other without trying to send someone over to an affiliate site? Just tell me where I can get pants like yours. Or don't. I'll track them down myself, thanks.

3. My coffee is better than yours. And so is my handwriting. And I'm going to show you. The whole trend of taking a photo of your coffee, posed next to your open journal with calligraphy scrawled on its pages, posed next to a vase of hydrangeas, posed next to a bunch of pointless knick-knacks in the background, like a J.Crew scarf, (because I love to keep my scarves at the ready when I journal and drink coffee...???) 

And the caption usually reads a little something like, "Brainstorming a few ideas this morning. So blessed." Huh?

I beg of you, WHO has time for this in the mornings???? Do these people have jobs?? Children?? Bills to pay?? Places to be??

So strange and so, so redundant.

4. Videos taken while driving down the road.  I saw a while-driving Instagram video recently where the girl talked about getting a speeding/hazardous driving ticket just two nights before. Yes, you read that correctly. She was taking an Instagram video while she was driving, simultaneously telling us about her bad driving.

For the sake of the rest of us on the road, please stop. 

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Alright, I'm dying to hear yours. What bugs the mess out of you in Instagram world lately? Any of yours similar to mine?