It shouldn't require a disclaimer that this is an opinion-based post. I'm just a blogger (sometimes), writing gibberish on her experiences and knowledge. I know there will be several people to read this and take offense or disagree, or not read it at all once they see the title of the post. I follow so many accounts that strictly post on one subject, whether it be Disney, Running, Lilly Pulitzer, etc. I just don't understand why. If I believed that this was "natural" and not strictly cultivated to be only one type of content, fine. However, people are working really hard to keep their accounts narrowed to one topic and honestly... it can get boring.
I'm somewhat of an instagram "OG," in that if you look at my number of posts, I have almost 5k. It sounds like a lot, but I've been using instagram since 2012ish? Despite my username, it was never created to be a "Disney" account. Back then, I'm really not sure "themed" accounts were a thing. Disneygirlie is simply an alias I've always had, but for the first several years of using instagram a lot of my content was Disney related. Of course I would post grainy, horrible photos of whatever I wanted to too... I mean we're talking about the days when the hashtags I used were #instagram and #whatarehashtags. From 2012-2017, I worked at Disney in some capacity, so Disney content was abundant. But, that's just one part of my life. Then, I started running, so I would post running and race photos with my Disney photos. Do you know what happened? I gained more friends and more followers. Then, I worked at Lilly Pulitzer and wore only Lilly so I gained more friends and followers. Then, I started loving myself and posting about loving myself. So I got other positive babes following me. Then, I started posting about Orlando life and Florida travel. And yet, more people followed.
Let's be clear. I don't "do" instagram for the followers. As a matter of fact, I've always focused on genuine connections and high engagement while making friends. If I cared about followers, I hope I would have surpassed 10k since I've been doing this for 8 years. And to contradict myself, I love seeing people post their running photos or Lilly Pulitzer photos because it instantly lets me know how I "met" them and what fandom or hobby they're from... but... they can still post those things with other stuff. It feels as though people treat their main interest as something separate from the rest of their life on social media. Isn't your love for Disney just part of your life? Don't you like tacos and dogs too? Why do you have to have a "personal" account for literally everything in your life except that *one* interest that you deemed worthy of its own account?
I'm not really sure when the multiple accounts per person thing started. I would never do it because that's way too much work for me to manage. If you can manage multiple accounts at one time, that's great. The bigger question is... why do I have to follow both to get to know you? Sometimes, I see people say "Hey! This is my running (or Disney or whatever) account! I created it so everyone (who? family? friends?) didn't have to see my running selfies/disney photos everyday." These statements honestly make me sad. My first thought is always "Who hurt you? Who got offended at you posting about what brings you joy?" Because honestly folks, that's getting into shitty friend/family territory. If they get tired of seeing certain photos, they're not real friends and they're not there to support you. You shouldn't be cultivating an online presence that goes against who you are just to please other people. Yes, we all post the "highlight reel" of our lives and are guilty of posting the flattering photos... but we shouldn't hold back on posting our creative content that stems from doing our favorite things in life. My guess is more than one thing brings joy to you.
Over the last year, I have seen several people say that they are going to start posting more "lifestyle" content or just a blend of things rather than maintaining one theme. This makes me HAPPY! Due to Covid, I chose to end my Annual Pass at Disney, so I won't have Disney content to post for a long time. I posted about that and I got so many comments supporting me saying "I started following you for Disney (or running), but stayed because you're awesome!" Obviously, these compliments make me blush and I stay humble, but it really enforces the idea that if you're a genuine, open, fun person... people don't care what you post. If accounts get too deep into their specific community without variety, would their followers say the same if they started posting other facets of their life? Is their community supporting them as a person or just as a Disney (or fill in the blank) creator? I'd rather feel support from multiple communities as a human being. I just hate to think of people going to cool places or doing NEAT-O stuff and not posting about it because it's not Disney or whatever their account theme is. There's so much creativity out there that I believe gets stifled through focusing too heavily on one subject and one subject only.
Again, this is all just opinion. There are several accounts specified around one topic that have way more followers than I'll ever have. They get more collaboration opportunities than I'll ever get. And by social media standards, are likely considered more successful than I'll ever be. But, I get the satisfaction of knowing I can post whatever I want (as long as it's not offensive!) and not lose followers over it. If I post about Mount Dora today and my dogs tomorrow, it doesn't matter. Hashtags are my favorite tool. That's how I find other accounts that share my interests and I'm sure how other accounts find me. Somedays, I find new Disney friends because I posted a #disneygram and some days, I find new Peloton friends because I posted a milestone ride and used #onepeloton. That means I get new friends from all different sides of things I love! That makes me happy. Not to mention, I can keep y'all on your toes. You don't know what kind of photo I'll be posting tomorrow. ;)
Like I said, do what makes you happy. If the one subject instagram account is working for you, please don't be offended by what I wrote. I'm just one of those people that loves seeing how social media can bring people together from all types of interests, so why stop at one? Why miss out on posting about something really cool that could educate or help someone else just because it doesn't match your content theme?
Stay creative, stay safe.
xx Ashley
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