Over the past few weeks, we’ve all seen our newsfeeds littered with articles with titles like, “Instagram Star Quit Social Media – EVERYTHING WAS A LIE” and this piece by the Huffington Post. In case you haven’t been online in a while, here’s a quick rundown: Essena O’Neil, an Australian teen who amassed half a million followers online, recently decided to quit social media to call out the inauthenticity of the industry that made her famous. The Internet has gone up in flames over her decision to quit. As a result, Instagram has been on the tips of our tongues, especially in the college world.
The online outcry for more awareness around the use of social media had me wondering, how can we use Instagram in a way that not only doesn’t drive us users mad, but leads to a more positive online environment? To find out, I took to the halls of the New School in search of New Schoolers with real first hand experience and a real presence online. In this new weekly series, The Free Press features New School students who share their talents with the world online, while building a following with their authentic practices. This week I spoke with Parsons Junior, Kevin Wong.
“I do what I love and pursue my interests and passions, for me that is the most genuine source that is driving my work and the way I learn and live.” – Kevin Wong
Kevin Wong, otherwise known as @kevinwonka, joined Instagram three years ago and picked up photography as a hobby during his transition to Parsons where he is now a junior studying architecture design. He is inspired by the photographers that he follows on Instagram as well as by New York City as a whole. “[NYC] is dense with stimuli,” Wong said.
For Wong, Instagram is a constant reminder to live in the now, “not to take any moment for granted and to be on a higher level of awareness.” His advice for anyone looking to keep their Instagram authentic is to “do and pursue what you love.”
The only downside, according to Wong, is “when people on social media get caught up with a misled sense of identity, such as fame or beauty.” Even then, “the problem is not with Instagram itself, but rather it originates from the users of the app,” Wong said.
Would @kevinwonka ever quit Instagram? He’s open to the idea. “Platforms like Instagram were not built for permanence, but to ride the waves of social trends while creating it’s own waves too,” Wong said. “When those waves pass, there will be new mediums of self expression that people will jump and latch onto for a while, and I’m always ready and open for other means of expression.”
Check out @kevinwonka on Instagram, and come back in a week to meet our next feature.
