What is Finsta and Rinsta and why do teens have these ?
Have you heard of Finsta and Rinsta? Maybe this will help: Finstargram and Rinstagram. Still no? Unless you are a teenager chances are slim that this is something you use or even have but if you are teen Finsta has become the must-have-thing.
Finstagram or Finsta for cool is a conjunction of two words: Fake and Instagram. Rinstagram or Rinsta is a conjunction of Real and Instragram. So your Finsta account is your fake Instagram account and Rinsta is your real Instagram account.
Instagram is a social status
Instagram has become such an integral part of being a teenager in today’s tech world. Teens take Instagram very seriously as part of their social status which means the pressure is on to be perfect, upload the most amazing pics, and the aim is to gain more followers and likes. More followers is equated with being more popular. One does not simply snap and upload. Oh no. Multiple pics are snapped of every situation from multiple angles so that only one pic is carefully selected to reflect the best of the situation. The pic is then edited and enhanced. Using the basic Instagram filters is a no-no too. Teens will spend money to purchase photo editing apps to ensure they have the tools on their mobile phone to “edit before you Insta” as a 12-year-old girl told me.
This is a lot of pressure to maintain.
Therefore this is where Finsta comes in. Finsta, the fake Instagram account is created mostly by girls (according to Urban Dictionary), where they can be themselves and not worry about what they are posting.
The fake Instagram accounts, which only their Besties know of, are set to Private so that not everyone can access the gallery. On this account there is no pressure to be perfect and anything goes. This is where teens are free to snap away and upload those ugly/weird/funny/ just being me type to photos without spending hours editing anything. This is where teens can be themselves as they virtually hang with their best mates. The Finsta account is where there is no pressure to get more followers.
Maintaining Multiple Accounts
Having multiple accounts means you have to maintain these but this is not a simple process as the Instagram app only allows you to log into one account. Therefore teens who have multiple accounts are forced to log out from the Rinsta account and log into their Finsta account. This will soon change as Instagram will allow its users to log into multiple accounts like Twitter does.
Finsta is yet another complication in the lives of our connect kids that we never had to deal with but at least having Finsta means there is an outlet for kids to be themselves and not constantly put on the perfect front.
*images from Shutterstock.com
Are u kidding me? Sounds like u are condoning a Finsta. Kids create those so they can be under the radar of their parents.. so they can post suggestive photos, cruel comments about others and this could be very dangerous, as they could possibly meet up with a predator after using a Finsta.
This is dangerous, the language I’ve seen, the bullying. Think again Instagram, if this is their way of being theirselves, we don’t need them in society as they age. Please PLEASE, check into this, look at what they are posting, your causing good children to be criticized that have no idea what’s being said.
don’t say bad stuff
this help
he right
it is verry cruel and all this needs to stop i dont like what america is doing
Thats crazy becuase you never know who you could be following back.Finsta just going to create more problems
the type of content and pics that people on finsta’s post are not all of people who owns instagram mark zuckerburg fault. it is up to the person posting innapporpriate stuff to be responsible and take responsibllity for their actions. if someone is offended they can always report people or tell a adult. and if it’s the post or comments that may be consider legal then go to the police. instagram can’t control people behaviors they can only ban or punish them.
I see comments here about from concerned parents who don’t like Finsta accounts. While it’s great to be concerned, I think it’s much worse to think your kids don’t already know how to use a Finsta account properly. After all, this is a point in their life when they can learn faster than another time. Remember, parents and teachers are not the only ones teaching you child.Their friends are teaching them too.
Kids, by nature, don’t have a filter. They are driven by their emotions because the front of the brain is not yet talking to the back of the brain. Brain development is complete around age 25. It’s normal for them to post whatever they are feeling or thinking.
Training kids to properly curate their Rinsta (Real Instragram) account while their Finsta (Fake Instagram) account is for more emotionally driven responses for their Family and very close friends is a way to make kids consciously make better posting decisions. Sure it’s a risk. Being a parent is a risk. If you teach your kids to cross the street by looking both way, you should also teach them how to get across the social networking highway by not getting ran over by a bad post.
I do think parents should also be on their child’s Finsta account. I think it helps to build trust between the parent and the child. I would want my child to know I support and trust this alternate version of their social media activities rather than go behind my back and do it on their own.