It is nearly impossible in the modern world to completely avoid social media. It is prevalent in our society as a way to network, stay in touch with friends and family, and even get employment. While social media can be beneficial for some things such as sharing adorable cat videos, it does have its drawbacks.
Social media platforms such as Instagram are a perfect curation of a person’s highlight reels. The pictures and videos can be taken multiple times, edited, and simply do not share the full truth of the moment. It is so easy to forget this fact when mindlessly scrolling the app. One can see that guy from high school living his best life and think, “What’s wrong with me that my life isn’t that perfect?” A recent study showed that comparing oneself to others on Instagram can lead to depression. There is also pressure to present a specific brand or aesthetic on Instagram. One has to share the perfect photos so everyone at least thinks your life is together. This is where a “finsta” comes in which is what cool teenagers and celebrities such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle use.
What does finsta mean?
“Finsta” is short for “finstagram,” which literally means a fake Instagram, but that name is actually misleading. A finsta is a second Instagram account only for very close friends. Having a second account let’s one be more real and truthful. The main account is for the perfectly curated moments; a finsta is for silly, less filtered, more-real life moments.
How to make a finsta
It is easy to make a finsta. Simply open your account and click the three lines in the top right corner. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click add account. Then you are off to the races.
Tips for your new finsta
Couple of tips to make sure your new account stays private and secret: Make sure to not put your real first or last name in your user name. Also, don’t use a real photo of yourself as your profile photo. Finally, Don’t link your finsta account to your Facebook account.
Ideas for a username
If you are stuck trying to come up with a finsta username, never fear; there is a whole website dedicated to helping you out. SpinXO is a free tool that will generate username ideas for you based on your likes, nickname, or whatever information you enter. Remember, you want your username to be unique so no one can link it back to you unless you want them to.
Celebs who use finsta accounts
Finsta accounts are not just for smart teenagers trying to avoid their parents’ watchful eyes. Many celebrities use them as well. They want to get in the social media fun but have “an image” to uphold for professional purposes, after all. One famous example of this is Bella Hadid. She created a finsta account for her blonde alter ego, Rebekka Harajuku. On this account, Bella parodies an influencer, and its pretty darn funny.
What does finsta have to do with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a multi-year deal with Netflix in September of 2020 to produce content, such as movies, documentaries, and docu-series. There was much speculation about what this historic and unprecedented deal would look like. People especially wondered if Meghan and Harry would use Netflix to tell their own story about their decision to leave royal life behind.
Turns out, they did. The docuseries, simply titled Harry & Meghan, premiered its first three episodes on Dec. 8 with the final three to follow on Dec. 15, and the show tells the couple’s love story. Netflix describes the series as “a never-before-seen look at one of the most-discussed couples in history.” In the trailer, Meghan asks, “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”
How Harry met Meghan
One of the things that was revealed in the first half of the series was how exactly Meghan and Harry met. In July of 2016, Harry saw Meghan on a mutual friend’s Instagram feed and was, like, “Who’s that?” Harry saw a silly photo of Meghan with Snapchat filter dog ears. Because this follows all the finsta rules, many are now speculating Harry and Meghan have their own finsta accounts.
Meghan and Harry’s mutual friend emailed Meghan to let her know. Before the two met, she was intent on having a wonderful travel-filled, single-girl summer. She checked out his Instagram account to see what he was all about. She agreed to grab drinks with the prince. After their first date, which Harry was 30 minutes late to, it was apparent to Meghan that this was something special. “Talk about a plot twist,” she states on the series. And all because of finstagrams.
