How to 'slay' on Instagram like a Gen Z, according to a Gen Z

For some weird, unfathomable reason, a picture of a flying car, Timothée Chalamet and a ‘Peace to the World’ sign have a connection. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Instagram photo dumps, where we’re given a glimpse into your world, as nonsensical and random as it may be. Think of it as a way to get rid of your endless selfies and food pics in these creative photo dumps.

It’s time to ditch the avocado toast and heavily edited beach pics. Gen Zs value sincerity, and love the rawness of genuine photos showing your everyday life. Rather than having a dolled up influencer selling us an overpriced beauty product, Gen Zs much rather have us spill the tea while doing your own makeup, GRWM-style. Or, like Lisa, we want to see you scarfing down pizzas in between tours.

Don’t be afraid to experiment! The rule of Gen Z is that there are no rules. Like Florence Pugh, put yourself out there on Instagram and don’t be afraid to get weird and wacky. Post anything from glamorous modelling photos on the runway to lying down on the kitchen floor — anything goes. You don’t have to smile prettily for the camera either — an unhinged expression or dead-eyed stare fits the unfiltered vibe of Gen Zs much better.

Instead of synthetic and stiff photos, Gen Zs love to document their lives in a seemingly carefree and candid manner. Blurred cameras, shaky filming or subjects out of focus — Gen Zs can’t be bothered with the detailed staging that goes into an ‘aesthetic’ Instagram post, much less hauling a DSLR camera around for high-definition. Instead, these little quirks show us your individuality and energy in these unpolished moments.

Angles are the key to show off your best, but not in the way you think. Gen Zs are embracing unusual angles from 0.5x wide lenses to forehead selfies. They may not be perfectly symmetrical, but when done properly, these angles add much needed funk and creativity to a boring, standard selfie. Plus, these wide lenses open up the frame to fit more of you in, perfect for group selfies.

Hold in the millennial urge to add 10 layers of VSCO presets, please. As a generation growing up on social media, Gen Zs can spot a filter from a mile away. For them, layering on the filters is symptomatic of being overly insecure and submitting to unrealistic beauty standards. Show some natural wrinkles or freckles for an authentic look that doesn’t look like you just got your nose done.

With the return of Y2K fashion, Gen Zs are bringing back nostalgic trends. Eclectic, 90s-style snaps shot on disposable film cameras with barely-functional flashes are the cool new thing (or the old thing made cool again). It’s time to dig our low-waisted jeans, vintage records and film cameras out of storage again.

It’s Instagram. Let your pictures do the talking, like Doja Cat’s feline fashion at the Met Gala 2023. We don’t have time (nor the attention span) for your trauma dump or self-reflection essay. Keep it simple and short, and don’t make Gen Zs scroll down for your grandmother's story — they’re more likely to press unfollow.

With Tiktok amassing 1 billion monthly active users, the success of the social media platform proves the popularity of mobile-filmed, short-form video content with the younger generations. This mode of consuming content has expanded to other social media platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook and especially Instagram with its reels and stories. The ease and quality of mobile filming enables us to capture vertical vlogs easily. Just do it in portrait mode to fit these platforms — landscape mode is now reserved for YouTube videos or lengthy movies.

Are you feeling ‘bonita’? At the risk of sounding too chronically online, sprinkle a little Gen Z slang in your content to appeal to the younger crowd. Rizz up your followers and slay in immaculate drip. It’s okay, you can sneakily search the urban dictionary for some inspiration, we won't snitch. Just don’t overdo it, or they’ll call you ‘cheugy’.