CULTURE

Is the Disposable Camera Instagram the New Finsta?

Celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Diana Silvers, and Tana Mongeau are coming up with a whole new kind of finsta.


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Photo courtesy of @gisposable.

Every now and then there comes a trend that hits social media and disrupts our understanding of how to use a particular app. When it comes to Instagram, you are probably on familiar terms with the concept of a “finsta.” It’s nothing new, people have been using finstas—or fake Instagrams—for years at this point to conjure up a semblance of privacy on the app. But there’s a different kind of “finsta” out there right now that is seemingly taking Instagram by storm.

This new type of finsta is not a fake Instagram, but a film Instagram. Instead of creating a private burner account that nobody can see, and instead of using an app like Huji, which is essentially just a filter that gives an Instagram photo the appearance of a picture taken with a disposable camera, people are going the extra mile to purchase a disposable camera, take the photos, develop the photos, and then scan them to their phones for an entirely separate public account.

Of course, not everyone with a film Instagram is a disposable purist—some shoot on medium format film cameras, or even Polaroids—but the act of shooting with a disposable Fujifilm camera and developing the photos to scan to Instagram is certainly a trend, especially now that celebrities are involved.

Frank Ocean, for example, does not have an entirely separate Instagram account dedicated to his disposable photos (his main Instagram has only been public since November 2018), but everyone made a big deal about how he photographed the 2019 Met Gala with a Contax T3 35mm film camera. This is all to say, carrying around a retro device is a thing celebrities have been doing for a while now, they just recently decided to lean in to the early aughts nostalgia and show off their understanding of the tech from the era. It probably won’t be long before start carrying around their old iPod classics, too.

YouTubers David Dobrik and Tana Mongeau have both created separate Instagram accounts dedicated to their disposable diaries, and so has actress Diana Silvers. And once Gigi Hadid hops on board, you know it’s a bonafide trend. Here, a guide to who to follow and why.

Gigi Hadid @gisposable

Camera: Disposable film camera.

Photography Subjects: Her friends (models and musicians, mostly), her siblings, her fashion shows, her horses. Typical Hadid stuff.

David Dobrik @davidsdisposable

Camera: Disposable film camera.

Photography Subjects: Friends and fellow vloggers, parties, Kylie Jenner and Anastasia Karanikolaou (aka Stassie Baby).

Tana Mongeau @tanatookthese

Camera: Mongeau has yet to specify which kind of camera she uses for her account, but her bio says it’s “film.”

Photography Subjects: Her friends, her fiancé, her parties.

Diana Silvers @dianasfilmdiary

Camera: Polaroid SX-70, medium format film cameras, disposable film cameras.

Photography Subjects: Her co-stars from [Booksmart and Ma](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/diana-silvers-ma-movie-blumhouse-booksmart), Halloween parties, herself, landscapes.

Joe Jonas @cupofjoe

Camera: Jonas has not specified, but the photos on his ancillary account appear to come from some sort of film camera.

Photography Subjects: Sophie Turner takes up some real estate on @cupofjoe, obviously, but so do his brothers, his DNCE bandmates, and his own face.

Related: Gigi Hadid Is Also Doing the Mismatched Earrings Trend