Instagram egg provides community in corporate-dominated setting

Compared to other Instagram influencers, the egg seems uniquely community-based.

There is a new rising star on social media. This recent influencer is an Instagram page titled World Record Egg. Its main goal was to become the most liked photo in the history of Instagram. On the original image, the caption says, “Let’s set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this.” This picture has gone on to receive over 51 million likes since its creation on Jan. 4, shattering the record and creating an internet sensation.

Some may argue that the egg is merely a dumb internet meme that was popularized by people who laughed at its absurdity. It will disappear quickly, as pointless memes do, and not be remembered past its brief time in the sun. While this may be true, I think it is better to look at this phenomenon as an example of the joys of being a part of something new and record breaking. The egg promotes the idea that average human beings in our modern era can achieve attention without the need of corporate and celebrity power.

This can be seen through the egg’s original statement. The previous world record holder for most liked post was social media star and influencer Kylie Jenner. Jenner’s main role on Instagram is as an advertiser for corporations wishing to sell products to her followers. Most posts are formatted to fit a specific theme and concept by their corporate designers and seek to sell you something.

The difference between the egg and Jenner is that the egg, as far as we know, has no corporate backing. It only asks for a quick like on the photo to achieve something greater. The account and initial post acts as a challenge to the current perception of social media. Corporate and celebrity powers are not the only source of influence and popularity. Individuals still have the potential to beat large industries on social media.

The Instagram egg is also the continuation of world record attempts that are done only for the accomplishment. People get involved in such activities because it gives them a sense of community and pride; they helped achieve something noteworthy with others. It is the digital version of old world-record attempts, such as the practice of phone booth stuffing. In these attempts, people tried to figure out how many people they could fit into a phone booth. The egg continues this trend of using the maximum amount of people to fit in one area, though it is digital. It gives everyone involved a small sense of community. The egg’s 50 million likes is a digital upgrade to similar past attempts.

The campaign for the Instagram egg also provides a sense of community across different countries. While people in the United States may view it in English, the comments underneath are a mix of languages from different countries. Through this small post, different nationalities all find something to get behind, even if it it as ridiculous and potentially meaningless as how many likes a picture of an egg has.

While the major purpose of the egg is a silly attempt to see how many likes it can receive, one can see it through a variety of different angles. Through little unimportant elements, we can understand how digital communities work in the modern era and how people look for a sense of community across the globe.

Post Author: Nathan Hinkle