"Based": The Hellscape That is Music Instagram

Because I happen to write and talk about music quite frequently, my personal FBI agent has decided that my Instagram explore page should be completely dedicated to music criticism. While that may sound quite enjoyable and informative, let me explain the “music criticism” side of Instagram to you. Picture this: you have a blender, and in it you place incels, men who think listening to Weezer is a personality trait, men who think hating Weezer is a personality trait, men who think you’ve never heard of Math Rock, and one woman who sometimes likes to listen to 100 Gecs. You hit the “pulse” button on your oddly human-sized blender and end up with the most sexist, god-complex-harboring, anti-HyperPop space on the Internet. And me, an 18-year-old doofus who knows approximately four things about music, is forced to live with it. 

In an age where social media has become self-deprecating and unintentionally meta, Music Instagram takes the cake for the weirdest example of it. The people who are the biggest fans of Death Grips are the ones making posts that poke fun at their music. But, simultaneously, there are also people who think Death Grips genuinely makes bad music and will create almost-identical posts that make fun of them. While scrolling, you almost never know if the posters are being serious about their jokes or if they’re completely self-aware of the quality of music that they listen to. Take this post from Instagram user Music.ShitPosting, making fun of The Black Keys: 

For the life of me,  I could not tell whether they like listening to The Black Keys from this post alone. However, if I may digress, their post is scarily accurate. 

For the most part, the content that Music.ShitPosting shares doesn’t really rub me the wrong way. It’s witty, relatable and doesn’t cross any touchy boundaries like race or gender. But, that’s not the case for every account under this genre. So many jokes boil down to “Tame Impala is popular and therefore bad but Neutral Milk Hotel is good!” This is easily the most overused and honestly frustrating jab for one main reason: it makes people not want to be interested in music. If you’re just beginning to delve into the vast world of Spotify playlists to expand your music palette, you’re met with vinyl-wielding incels who beat you on the head with their limited-edition copy of “Depression Cherry” by Beach House.

After seeing these posts from the user PageForMusicChads, someone new to the music scene is automatically going to think that they’re “not cool enough” for listening to The Smiths and The 1975. Speaking from personal experience, this makes you want to keep your opinion of music and bands to yourself in social settings; at this point, the idea of music becoming bad once it gets popular is overdrawn. The music community on Instagram is sitting on a high horse built from feeling rejected in childhood, overreliance on music for emotional stability throughout high school, and the desperateness that comes from trying to find purpose and belonging in college. We get it Tyler, you don’t think that women deserve to have an opinion on new-wave Rock music. Go back to your comfort albums that are the only relief your touch-starved soul has experienced since you were fourteen. 

I know, I sound harsh. But, after scrolling through these accounts for three hours, you would start to get fed up with the same punching-down repetitive content, too. On the bright side, for every 30 unoriginal anti-Indie Pop memes, there’s one genuinely humorous post.

Credit: Music.ShitPosting 

Because of memes like the one above, I really can’t say that I hate this side of Instagram. While it may be completely male-dominated, rely on overused jokes and perpetuate Imposter Syndrome for people new to music, I do enjoy the irony of it all. Are they purposefully meta, or are they that high up on their horse that they can’t see the paradox they create with their own posts? As an outsider, it feels like watching a social experiment collapse in on itself; the culture of making fun of your favorite artists and other people’s favorite artists at the same time suggests that all music is laughable in one way or another. Where does this all end? Will we ever come full circle and realize that just because your music doesn’t go “beep-boop” doesn’t automatically make it good? Or, transversely, that all “beep-boop” music isn’t good just because men who like “haven’t felt the touch of a woman in five years”–essentially, Weezer– music hate it? The pompous, self-referential nature of this niche group of content-creators is a sign of the times; memes are no longer just memes, but rather microscopes that allow you to see both the flaws and unique positives of our generations’ presence on social media. 

In the end, I don’t regret looking into the highs and lows of Music Instagram. It allowed me to prove what I already knew in my heart: men are way too sensitive and will get very angry when you know more than they do. So, for my fellow ladies who love music: don’t be afraid to voice your opinion on music. The worst they’ll do is make a sub-par meme about it and maybe call you a poser for listening to Flower Boy instead of Goblin. Personally, I see that as a risk worth taking. 

I leave you with the light at the end of the tunnel of my mind-numbingly cringe-worthy search through these accounts. Unsurprisingly, it was the only account I could find that was run by a woman. 

Credit: SadBoiCentral