Known as “finsta” for short, finstagrams are the latest form of social media for kids to add to their already long list of social media accounts.

A finstagram is an additional Instagram account that people use to post photos exclusively for their close friends to see. They serve many pur-
poses, from ranting, gossipy posts, to embarrassing and funny ones.

“I think having a finsta has become such a big trend because it gives people an outlet that they don’t normally have on their real [Instagram] account,” said sophomore Brandon Bland, whose finsta username is thebadad.

In addition, even though finstas are meant to be more of a joke, they actually do a good job of capturing the imperfections that Instagram accounts often hide.

According to an Aug. 8 article in The Odyssey Online, finstas are usually an additional account that aren’t about people’s unblemished lives. To the contrary, finstas display unattractive selfies, along with long captions complaining about user’s lives. A finsta captures what a Instagram account doesn’t.

For many finsta users, their account has allowed them to share a different but more real side of themselves. Whereas students typically use their real Instagram accounts to fit a certain image, finsta gives them a chance to not worry about picking the perfect filter for their staged shots.

“Finstas are good because it lets people show their quirky, weird, ugly sides without the worry of the whole world judging them,” junior Ray Gilmore said. “I think most people crave authenticity, but starve themselves by promoting a spoofed up, carefully manicured version of themselves online; they use finstas as their true outlet.”

Finstas are also known for unusual usernames. It is common for finsta usernames to be a play-on-words or funny nickname. For students, finstas can take away a lot of stress that Instagram may pile on. On Instagram, users become so focused on how many likes, comments and followers they have, along with what other people are doing with their lives.

“I think social media can be great, but the way the [Instagram] app is regularly used is really unhealthy,” Gilmore said. “It makes people way too concerned with their outward image, and encourages them to value themselves based on feedback they get from friends. When I got an Instagram, I started caring about really weird, shallow things.”

On finsta, people post multiple times a day with far from perfectly-edited photos. In fact, most of the pictures people post on finstas are slightly embarrassing and funny.

“I use Instagram to post artsy or cute pictures with my friends, but on finsta I mainly use it to post more of my personal problems and rant,” Bland said.