Instagram Simplifies Your Life…Finally
It’s finally here: social media enthusiasts rejoice, you can now add and switch between multiple Instagram accounts without logging out and back in. Gone are the days of trying to remember multiple passwords or accidentally posting a picture of your dog in a hotdog costume to your handmade jewelry account.
The photo sharing app recently announced that users can now maintain more than one account on the same device. You are still limited though – to a maximum of five different accounts.
Why does multiple account access matter?
For the casual Instagram user, this new feature may seem like no big deal. But for a large number of 20-somethings, it will have a significant impact on how they use the application – because they use it differently than you might expect.
For younger Instagram users, one account just isn’t enough anymore. They’re juggling profiles dedicated to various businesses, adorable pets, and personal interests (shoe or nail obsessions, anyone?).
Rising pressures to fit in and look good while doing so
These days it’s so common to have multiple accounts that, according to TechCrunch, many ‘grammers even have their own slang for it: “finstagram” or “finsta,” for example, stands for a fake Instagram account, and “rinstagram” or “rinsta” stands for a real account. Ironically, “finstas” tend to be private accounts and tell a more real, unfiltered, unpolished story of one’s life. In contrast, “rinstas” are public and tell a carefully selected and edited story full of enviable rooftop parities and flawless selfies.
As the New York Times points out, the rise of perfectly curated celebrity Instagram accounts has added to the pressure Millenials feel to present an idealized version of themselves with envy-invoking photos and captions. This isn’t without unfavorable response, however. There has also been a noticeable rise in #nofilter and #letsgetreal campaigns which encourage Instagram users to post those types of photos typically reserved for a fake account to their “real” accounts instead.
Users benefit from multiple account access, but so does Instagram
Regardless of whether they’re real or fake ones, up until now switching between accounts has been a pain in the…thumbs. It seemed inevitable that Instagram would eventually make it easier to manage multiple log-ins but it’s not just users the application is helping. Not having to constantly log out means longer user sessions, which means more posting and more liking, which then leads to higher engagement and more ads served for Instagram.
There’s always room for improvement, though! Instagram’s API doesn’t currently allow any third-party platforms to publish their service. All photos are required to be published through the native mobile app. And let me tell you, it can be quite a hassle not being able to post from a desktop. But that’s a topic for another day.
To add multiple Instagram accounts:
1. Go to your profile and tap 
or 
in the top right
2. Scroll down and tap Add Account
3. Enter the username and password of the account you would like to add. Et voilà!
An easier way to keep up appearances
Many people’s mantra these days seems to be “I Instagram, therefore I am.” Things simply didn’t happen if they failed to post a photo of it to their Instagram profile. This latest update helps people, especially the multitude of teens and 2o-somethings who make the majority of Instagram’s user base, make sure they can record every last detail – from product launches to fabulous brunches to on-fleek eyebrows – across several profiles.
Now go forth and multiInsta!
