Insta Info by Andrew

Insta Info by Andrew - March 2022 Scholarship Essay

I remember the first time I got Instagram. It was early in my teenage years and I was interested and intrigued by the possibilities and connections I could make within the app, years later I would realize its full potential. Not only does social media provide our generation with connections and communication, but it has started taking a toll on the education and information system and how we consume it in our daily lives.
I don’t have a personal Instagram account. In fact I only run a Lion King fan account as my main page, I find connecting with other fans of my all time favorite movie as a rewarding experience and I’ve loved meeting and interacting with people online that share the same passion and interests I have. However, just like everyone that has social media, it has greatly affected the overall informational outlet that our world has. I learn about what’s going on in the world through social media and the people and organizations I follow. The way information is presented through social media can be altered, and thus the education can also be altered through the app. I follow quite a few animal, conservation, and official zoo pages on my Instagram account due to the interest I have to our natural world, and I find myself being enlightened with new facts and information I’ve learned from the posts they contribute towards the app, and that’s what drove me to creating an entirely new account inspired and based from this.
Ever since I was a kid I’ve been inspired by nature and the animals it possesses, and as I’ve grown older that spark has never faded. As someone who truly wants to make a difference in the world by educating and inspiring others to care about animals and nature I thought it was a good idea to start a separate account on Instagram based upon educating others about the cool animals we share this planet with. I’ve been posting random animal and conservation facts to hopefully attract others to also care about animals. With social media becoming almost integral to our daily lives I thought it would be wise to start educating others, including myself in the process, through online media and the ever growing users on it. Although the account doesn’t have many followers or high reach numbers I like to think that at least some of my posts are enlightening others and inspiring them to at least somewhat think about their impact on the natural world. The amount of educational facts about animals and other random environmental things on my Instagram is the driving factor that contributes towards why I have so much information in my head about animals and the world around us. However, some false news can easily spread throughout it.
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, problem with information on social media is the false or altered news. A user can easily post whatever they want on the platform and get people to believe it without backing it up whatsoever. I only follow animal conservationists I trust on the app that posts information I know is true based on my own knowledge and official articles. By doing this I hope to expand my education on animal facts and knowledge that I find interesting without having to worry too much about its authenticity.
Social media has both its pros and cons. I believe that especially when it comes to information and how we process it, social media is vital towards the problem and solution. I personally use the app to gain knowledge and education on things I’m interested in, and I think it’s a very effective way in those regards. I’ve had my own experiences within social media and how it affects the way I gain knowledge.