An Instagram model has reportedly broken up with her boyfriend because he wanted to be a part of her social media posts.
She refused his demand because she did not want to lose her Instagram following, which is her main source of income. The model had come to the conclusion that her engagements on the platform significantly decreased if there was a guy in her photos.
There are two ways to look at this situation. The first being that this is her job and if she wants to keep it professional, she has every right to keep her boyfriend out of it. She also has every right to keep her private life separate from commercial endorsements.
Some, however, are of the opinion that hiding her boyfriend from her Instagram is not an acceptable thing to do when you are in a committed relationship.
Love in the time of social media
Pre-social media, relationships were simpler. You met, went out on dates, and if it worked out, you stayed together. Along the way, you took photos with an old-school reel camera, developed them, stuck them in an album, and showed it to people who visited your home.
Now, relationship milestones are different. The announcement of togetherness is made with a change in your relationship status on Facebook; some post a loved-up photo on Instagram with hashtags like #bae, #mylove, #couplegoals.
Social media is such a big deal that Gigi Hadid following The Bachelorette finalist Tyler Cameron on Instagram is actually headline news. Are they dating? Is this a sign that they are together? Are they making it Instagram official? All these questions are floating around the internet because of an Instagram follow.
To take Gigi’s example again, she even announced her breakup with Zayn Malik on her Instagram. Clearly, social media has become much more than just connecting with people.
A job is a job
In the case of the influencer who broke up with her boyfriend, social media is clearly not just an expression of her personal creativity. It is her workspace as much as an office building is for other people. It’s her prerogative to only work with content that allows her to professionally and legitimately earn money.
According to a reddit post the influencer made (her identity has not been revealed), she broke up with her boyfriend while they were on a vacation she had paid for. She had planned the trip to also include work where she took the usual Instagram model shots of herself in beachwear and sunnies living the good life.
Many criticised her for combining work and pleasure and blurring the lines between the two. But the fact is, it is a blurry space when you’re a social media personality. You are endorsing your personal life and monetising it. But it is up to you to decide which parts of your personal life make it to the public sphere or not.
Many suggested she create a separate, personal Instagram account instead, which seems like a good idea.
What do you think?
