#17 trending in Self-improvement this week · most on The Rich Roll Podcast
Instagram is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service. Users can create, edit, and share photos, videos, Stories, and other content, discover posts through feeds, hashtags, and locations, and interact through likes, comments, messaging, and follows.
Rank this week
Share of the conversation
1.4‰ of what listeners heard
Reach this week
Tone this week
Not enough signal yet (fewer than 3 episodes scored).
Share of the conversation
Mentions of Instagram per 1,000 mentions of anything, 7-day rolling, self-improvement.
Show the data
| Day | Share (7-day) | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 8 | 4.95‰ | 1 |
| Aug 12 | 5.49‰ | 3 |
| Aug 13 | 7.24‰ | 2 |
| Aug 20 | 1.78‰ | 2 |
| Aug 24 | 3.70‰ | 2 |
| Aug 25 | 5.62‰ | 2 |
| Aug 27 | 5.43‰ | 2 |
| Sep 1 | 4.26‰ | 2 |
| Sep 3 | 5.69‰ | 4 |
| Sep 7 | 9.26‰ | 4 |
| Sep 8 | 8.09‰ | 1 |
| Sep 9 | 9.67‰ | 1 |
| Sep 10 | 8.85‰ | 2 |
| Sep 14 | 7.26‰ | 3 |
| Sep 15 | 7.45‰ | 1 |
| Sep 16 | 7.55‰ | 2 |
| Sep 17 | 8.58‰ | 5 |
| Sep 21 | 7.55‰ | 1 |
| Sep 22 | 8.87‰ | 3 |
| Sep 24 | 5.66‰ | 1 |
| Sep 28 | 5.30‰ | 1 |
| Sep 30 | 3.18‰ | 1 |
| Oct 5 | 3.06‰ | 3 |
Why is it trending?· Last 7 days
Instagram appears in discussions of performance, teen protections, and a bourbon group
Anand Giridharadas contrasted Instagram’s current communication with a trove of private messages he described as non-performance and real communication.[1]
On Purpose included an Instagram ad read about teen accounts’ automatic protections limiting contacts, content, and time on the app.[2]
Mick Hunt proposed a monthly 2XO bourbon society on Instagram, inviting people to send bottle pictures and join live virtual gatherings.[3]
Sources · 3 moments
- 1.The Rich Roll Podcast · Journalist Anand Giridharadas On The Lost Art Of Empathy, Compassion, & Understanding Each OtherAnand Giridharadas · Oct 5 · Listen at 1:01:54 ↗
“me, the way you understand the world is language. That's my tool. So, okay, here was a giant trove of found language that no one intended, that wasn't PR ready, it wasn't vetted, it wasn't designed for a message the way everything is now on”
- 2.On Purpose with Jay Shetty · MIKAYLA NOGUEIRA EXCLUSIVE: The Story She’s Finally Ready to TellJay Shetty · Oct 5 · Listen at 8:51 ↗
“Instagram teen accounts come with automatic protections that limit who can contact teens, the content they can see, and the time they spend on the app. Learn more about teen accounts and Instagram's ongoing work to protect teens online at i”
- 3.Mick Unplugged · Dixon Dedman: The Man Behind The BottleMick Hunt · Oct 5 · Listen at 44:13 ↗
“Um, you know, I, I'm gonna do something before I go to this, this Unplugged 5. Um, I wanna do, I wanna do like a, a monthly 2XO little bourbon society that we do on Instagram together. So here's what we're gonna do. Everybody that's watchin”
Written by AI from the cited moments; every quote is checked against the transcript.
The conversation on X
X debates Instagram’s social effects, usability, and cultural influence
X users often criticize Instagram as draining, performative, or unpleasant, with several describing deletion or a break as a response. Others focus on requests for better accessibility, messaging, account-review processes, translations, and technical reliability.
A separate discussion presents Instagram as influential in influencer culture and reality television, while some users value it for entertainment, favorite accounts, and social connection. This broadly overlaps with the podcast story’s focus on influencer culture, reality television, visual presentation, and everyday use, but X adds stronger criticism of the app’s effects and more practical complaints about its operation.
Points of view
Share of the 38 posts that take a position
- Instagram is draining and performative50%
These users see Instagram as tiring, superficial, or harmful because it encourages showing off, misleadingly positive identities, upsetting content, and exhausting behavior. Some respond by deleting the app or taking a break.
“Deleted my Instagram app and logged out and deleted my password cuz meh.”
@PaintItBlues · Oct 4
“Instagram app should be renamed as show off”
@vinaydeekonda · Oct 3
“Deleting instagram app for like two days after realizing it’s national boyfriends day”
@ThatLockedDoor · Oct 3
- Instagram should improve access and reliability21%
These users want Instagram to address practical problems, including messaging restrictions, account suspensions, accessibility features, translation, lag, loading failures, and other unwanted changes.
“I should update my instagram app”
@officialmediaug · Oct 6
“Hey @Meta here’s a good use case for muse on the instagram app. Real time captions and cross language support”
@premwise · Oct 3
“@Instagram @facebook @Meta My Instagram account @_just.existing00 was suspended for 180 days, and I believe this suspension may have been made in error. I have already submitted an appeal through the Instagram app, but I have not received a resolution.”
@nasib7r · Oct 4
- Instagram shapes influencer and reality culture8%
These users argue that Instagram and related platforms have helped make influencer culture and reality television more socially or professionally significant. Critics also say platform-friendly presentation can prioritize viral appearance over substance.
“There’s a direct correlation between influencer culture and reality tv being seen as a serious career. YouTube, Facebook , instagram and twitter helped create this new generation thinking”
@globalinblack · Oct 6
“"I think what's challenging is that when you get into the Instagram-friendly pictures that are all over the place, you don't really know what it tastes like," says @dhmeyer of food influencer culture. "It just became a viral appearance of something. I love when food is real."”
@FiringLineShow · Oct 6
- Instagram is useful for entertainment and connection5%
These users value Instagram for entertaining videos, favorite accounts, social contact, and other forms of engagement, even when they acknowledge drawbacks such as environmental cost.
“My current favorite Instagram account is this kid Samuel Henderson from Florida who does impeccable imitations of bird calls.”
@karatalaamalaka · Oct 8
“@ thuggpapi IG probably depleting a planets worth of water but man them videos is fire can’t lie”
@Beaux_Lee · Oct 8
Other views: 16%
51% of the 77 posts report news or ask questions without taking a position.
Tone toward Instagram on X
Neutral
- Negative 28
- Neutral 45
- Positive 3
- Very positive 1
Also discussed
- Performative identity and social comparison
- Deleting the app and taking breaks
- Account suspensions and technical problems
- Influencer and reality-TV culture
- Entertainment and social connection
- Note: Many posts are routine announcements, promotions, reposts, or references to individual creators rather than arguments about Instagram itself.
Written by AI from 77 posts on X in the week to Oct 8. Shares count the posts read, not a poll of opinion; quoted posts are shown as written.
Discussed alongside
Names that come up in the same conversations as Instagram.
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