Instagram: Why do you double-tap?

With a quick double-tap of a finger, you can like a photo on Instagram. But in this day and age, “liking” that photo can have many underlying meanings.

This begs the question: Why do you “like” a photo?

The Best Friend Pact

As soon as your best friend posts a photo, you’re obligated to give it the double-tap, and if you wait too long, he or she may be a little offended by your timeliness (or the lack thereof). In regard to this unspoken law of friendship, we know we can always count on a few likes, as our best friends always have our backs – even if we post a picture of something outrageous.

The Crush

Cute guy or girl in your news feed and you’re just dying to catch their attention? We’ve now come to liking an Instagram photo as a way of silently saying, “Hey, I’m interested.” This method may not always work, but at least your name is crossing their mind when they get a little orange heart in the bottom corner of their screen.

The Jealousy

Your friends went out without you on a Friday night while you were stuck writing a paper and now they’re posting Instagram photos of the awesome night you didn’t attend. We like these photos because we’re happy they had fun, but that doesn’t stop us from turning a little green with jealousy because we couldn’t go.

The Celebrities

Following celebrities on Instagram gives us insight into the lives of our favorite stars and makes us feel like we know them on some kind of personal level. Even though we know they won’t ever notice us individually, we find ourselves giving the double-tap to all of their photos just because we have the privilege of doing so.

The Food and Drink

“If you didn’t post a photo of it, did you even eat it?”

A common phrase that represents just how addicted our society really is to snapping a photo and posting it – even if it is just a picture of our lunch. Whether someone tried a new burger joint or took the time to make a home made meal, we find ourselves constantly noticing food posts popping up in our news feeds. In reality though, who wouldn’t like a picture of a delicious meal?

The Inspiration

Poems, sayings and inspirational quotes are another common siting on our Instagram feeds. Sometimes it just feels good to see someone share something that resonates with us. We like these posts to show that they brought happiness to our day, no matter how small.

The Arts

Some people have the ability to make even the smallest things beautiful. A rusted bolt, snow sitting on a tree, a flower covered with soil – they’re all so insignificant, but some photos that our followers post transform these everyday items into works of art.