A Re-evaluation of “The Ratio”: Why I Recommend Only Following Like Two People on Instagram

izzy pedego

The other day I was on Twitter taking in my daily dose of whatever it is that I gain from being on Twitter, and I saw a post about the “ratio.” The obsession with the followers-to-following ratio has somewhat died down, but if you were active on Twitter a few years ago, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s good for someone’s public image to follow fewer people than follow them; it makes it seem like you’re more interesting than you are interested in others. At least, that’s how all the conversations about the ratio have felt to me. 

While I think a lot of the culture surrounding social media is based in fueling one’s ego, I also think that there are several benefits to running a social media account. I am inspired by many of the artists and creatives I follow on Instagram, and I curate my feed to only see people I know and enjoy in real life or people whose lifestyle I admire. At least I thought I did. 

The unfortunate thing about Instagram (and any social media, for that matter) is that it’s easy to have the intention of only taking in positive content but fall into the trap of following thousands of people. The need to see everything that everyone posts is a real urge, and it can be hard to stop once you get in the habit of scrolling and tapping through your feed. It leads to an excessive amount of comparison, a lack of productivity, and feeling like your life is boring in comparison to nearly everyone else’s. 

I’m not about to go on a rant about how “everyone only presents the best elements of their lives,” which I’m sure we’ve all heard too many times to count, however, a lot of people around my age (seventeen years old) run finstas, where they post private and often emotionally raw accounts of what they’re feeling, so this idea of “only the highlights” doesn’t even apply all the time. Still, the feeling of Instagram-comparison-based inadequacy seems to find its way back to me every few months or so. 

I’ve found that I am happiest when I spend less time on my phone. This may sound hypocritical coming from someone with a fairly active presence on several social media accounts, but I intentionally limit my interactions with people online and reserve my energy for face-to-face contact, which I find much more fulfilling. The best thing I ever did as far as my social media intake is concerned was unfollow everybody I didn’t know in real life. 

Celebrities, influencers, and even people who lived in the same town as me who I didn’t know,  all of their unnecessary content was out of my life, and for the better. As people became relevant to me, I would follow them again, but it’s incredible how many people we follow online simply because we’ve interacted with them once or twice. Do you really care about that girl you met at a bonfire in eighth grade? Are you gaining anything from following that YouTuber who contributes to the echo chamber of drama and pointless fads? How about that guy you took a class with in high school for one semester? We tend to hold on to these things, even though they do very little to benefit us. 

When extending beyond the personal, I recommend following political activists whose views align with yours (and maybe some whose views you disagree with, just to see the full scope of opinions on an assortment of topics), artists who inspire you, and people who you want to be friends with (not people who you sorta kinda maybe know from your hometown). 

The truth is that most people our age use Instagram or some form of social media, and it can serve as a useful tool for staying connected or being informed. When apps and websites become damaging to your self-esteem, logging off isn’t always necessary. Sometimes, you just need to revise who you let influence you and re-evaluate the content meant to motivate and inspire you.