Whose Top 9 is it Anyway?

I write this post two weeks into the new year where those sluggish days between Christmas and New Year are a distant memory. Those slow and cosy days were perfect for repeat visits to the fridge, sales browsing and rewatching classic Christmas movies.

This festive limbo also offers us the opportunity to pause and reflect over the past year. So it’s no surprise that social media reflected these sentiments resulting in Top 9 collages appearing in our feeds from all directions.

Top 9 worthy?

In case you haven’t come across one, Top 9 generates a collage of your nine most-liked posts shared on Instagram. Almost a year old, I was curious to see how my ‘blogger’ Instagram account fared and what my top 9 would look like. Before generating, I went through my feed selecting my own favourites – chosen for the visual impact of the final post or because I liked the accompanying caption – and wondering how many, if any, featured in the collated Top 9. So how many matched up with the Top 9 results? None.

None of my personal favourite posts of 2018 were included in the Top 9 generated results. This made me think about my own personal taste and preferences and how well it performs in the trending, influencer-domainated world of Instagram.

Some of my favourite accounts are beautifully themed and reflect the time and effort their creators put in to produce a polished and cohesive feed. But I also think it speaks for itself when a moment of joy is quickly shared, as instant as can be.

Most liked posts reflect what’s popular and trending on the platform at any given time and with an average of 95 millon posts shared on Instagram per day, gone are the days of 15 minutes of fame. And in fact, at peak times of the day you are lucky to get 15 seconds before something newer comes along.

I believe every post I share reflects my personal point of view in some way but I admit to planning some content to keep up with the trends and themes of Instagram – and the hundreds of other amazing accounts I follow.

That’s probably why my most liked top 9, as seen below, included a fun quote that I shared with a group of London hashtags, a powdery soft beach shared as a #traveltuesday throwback, a #sundaycarpic and a bunch of autumnal themed others. Autumn is definitely the season of the year on Instagram!

I am very fond of each of my most-liked posts but when scrolling back, the 9 which stood out to me were less Instagram and more me.

When collated together they may look less cohesive and themed but realistically, if I am the one who will be scrolling back through my posts in a years’ time, does it really matter?

The social media sweet spot

I will continue to think about the overall look and feel of my feed and give a nod to seasonal trends but I will also keep in mind that my feed is just that, my feed, and I will only post the things that I love – not because I think they will perform well on the platform.

From a content manager’s perspective, I think a dual approach to aesthetics and authenticity is key to a long and happy social media account. A cohesive feed lets your followers know what to expect from you and/or your brand, whilst considering how you would talk about the contents of a post in the real world will help keep your content aligned with your values and point of view.

How do you approach Instagram? Did your top 9 of 2018 include your personal favourites?