Instagram is considered a creative outlet; it’s a photo-sharing platform in which anyone and everyone is invited to post moments from their day-to-day lives, plus often aesthetic vignettes that show off their passions, hobbies, creativity and unique styles.
Cat pics, memes, beauty advice, DIY renos, social movement news, career advice — it’s all there on the platform we shamelessly spend hours scrolling every day. But there’s a special type of Instagram user that uses the platform in ways others don’t, and often for making their primary source of income. Of course, we’re talking about the influencer.
As Nylon pointed out recently in a feature about the modern-day habits of Instagrammers and in particular, influencers, many wondered how this type of user would respond to the pandemic and its limitations.
With restaurants closed, brand events tabled indefinitely and sponsored trips to Majorca off the cards with travel restrictions, followers were keen to see just how bloggers would find inspiration and enough to post about within their own four walls.
As we’ve seen, many have thrived in a stay-home environment, and have perhaps ‘influenced’ us to buy more with their JESS20 discount codes than they ever have before. Only, it seems just as we are taking inspiration from them, they’re also looking to one another for new ways to perform their craft.
All well and good, until someone noticed and created an Instagram account called Shit Bloggers Post dedicated to pointing out these aspirational ‘same same, but different’ moments.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAOxuskgume/
Shit Bloggers Point is an anonymously-run account with just over 20k followers at the time of writing.
An individual or a group, no one knows, but whoever is behind the account certainly has a knack for spotting trends among those who make their living on the platform.
From Victoria Beckham’s signature leg mount to an aggressive close-up of an iced latte, nothing slips past without making it into a point-proving carousel on the account. But as the owner of Shit Bloggers Post (SBP) makes clear to Nylon in an anonymous interview, it’s all posted in good spirit.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBtUxQah-Ly/
“The longer you’re on Instagram, the more you’ll start to see trends form,” the owners tell Nylon. “I thought it would be fun to start a page that nods to that culture on Instagram, but in a lighthearted and supportive manner.
“We love these images; we love these creators; we’re just developing a space for everyone to laugh at themselves and show just how good these influencers are at influencing,” the owner says.
Turns out, the bloggers featured love it too. Or at least 99% of them do. “By far the vast majority have actually been so supportive. They’re constantly leaving positive comments on our posts.”
“A lot of influencers we’ve posted have submitted suggestions of their own, shared it on their stories, tagged their photos, and even added us into their captions, asking if they can get a feature or if they’re ‘doing it right.’ We love it.”
As for how they spot the trends, the owner admits its a mixture of follower submissions, scrolling the explore page, brand collaborations, and through their own research.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCT7s7kBG_5/
The account’s captions are exceptional and in line with their mission to bring attention to Instagram trends while simultaneously encouraging a laugh.
A favourite surely has to be the 10-image-strong carousel of the hood of vintage Mercedes-Benzes. The caption: “the quintessential blogger car that 0 bloggers own.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCCAtZKBb-n/
We’re totally here for this account and we’re thrilled to see the bloggers featured are too.