BEFRIENDING INSTAGRAM
“I got an Instagram account to ‘promote my book’” Rehana Munir
About a year ago, when my debut novel Paper Moon was about to be released, I was a stranger to Insta Land. It was that faraway place where people with impeccable taste took aesthetic pictures of gourmet lifestyles. I, meanwhile, was still running wild over the wastelands of Facebook – a familiar space that I was both content within and contemptuous of. It (arguably) gave me the freedom to be funny or philosophical, sentimental or cerebral, without a visual accompaniment, or a word limit. Note to self: Watch The Social Dilemma.
In October 2019, I decided to Do The Wise Thing and get an Instagram account to ‘promote my book’– a phrase I still find vaguely troubling. “Post about your life, too, not just about your work; it makes your account more organic,” I was advised by my then 17-year-old niece: my portal to the New World. Her gentle nudge prompted a million nervous questions from my Gen X brain. Is this picture too much of a cliché? Is this couplet overkill? Should I be sharing sinful breakfast pics like everyone else, as a hello offering? But muesli and yogurt are not the most photogenic combination, no matter what filter you use. I found myself missing the
“A YEAR ON, I’VE LEARNT TO STOP STRESSING ABOUT IT; IT’S INSTAGRAM, NOT THE LOUVRE” —REHANA MUNIR
tackiness of Facebook – its unintimidating aesthetic standards.
A year on, I’ve learnt to stop stressing about it; it’s Instagram, not the Louvre. I’ve even, I daresay, begun to enjoy it a bit. The big surprise has been the response of kind readers who have connected with Paper Moon. Though I still take disturbingly bad photos myself, I’m treated to gorgeous pictures of my book via stories and posts from people I’ve never met. I gawk at the scenic locations the lucky book has found its way into. I marvel at the art-directed images of the book surrounded by flowers and kittens, pianos and tea sets – and here I can just about manage an in-focus shot of the cover!
It’s such a joy to see the novel through the eyes of friendly strangers, quite literally. #feelingblessed #onlyhalfironic #papermoon #overkill