In less than two weeks, one egg beat years of Kardashian-Jenner fame, something Kylie Jenner jokingly showed her distaste for in her response to the record-breaking post. (Photo/@world_record_egg)
The most liked Instagram photo ever now has 47.9 million likes — over two and a half times the previous record. More people than the population of Spain double-tapped a photo of a simple brown egg, but there’s more to the situation than beating a simple record.
Until Sunday night, reality TV star and makeup mogul Kylie Jenner held the record for the most liked Instagram post: a photo of her newborn daughter, Stormi Webster, following her not-so-secret pregnancy. The aesthetic photo of the newborn holding Jenner’s thumb and pastel-pink painted nail earned 18.6 million likes since its posting Feb. 6, 2018. Now, the most liked Instagram photo isn’t one celebrating new life, but a symbol of unborn life. Yes, @world_record_egg beat Kylie Jenner.
While many may think “What has become of the world?” upon reading the endless articles and comments regarding an ordinary grocery item, considering the consequences of “the egg” in the larger scheme of things presents interesting topics.
The egg account was created solely for the purpose of setting this record. Obviously, the main question people are asking is “Why did a photo of an egg get so many likes?” There’s endless @world_record_(object) accounts now trying to accomplish the same feat, but, for some reason, society chose an egg as the sacred item. There’s a hidden mentality that, by liking this photo, we’re making a difference and being part of a “larger cause,” when all we’re really doing is double-tapping a photo of a breakfast food.
Obviously, it’s a joke (to some extent) when those (the person?) behind the account thank the loyal “EGG GANG” for making a difference and beating Jenner’s record, but, at the same time, it promotes a not-so-joking sense of unity. The idea that we came together to make this happen is all fun and games until we realize that “joke” affected 47.9 million accounts. In the larger scheme of things, this presents the question: what is social media really capable of?
A video from Bell Let’s Talk, a Canadian mental health advocacy program, recently posted a video of their own on their Instagram page. For every view the video receives, the program donates five cents to mental health initiatives. The video currently has about 5 million views and is continuing to circulate the popular social media platform.
In all seriousness, mental health is a more relevant issue than an egg. Why doesn’t a video that raises funds for a worthy cause so easily have less than a quarter of the likes as an egg? Our priorities aren’t in order. Social media has the power to bring people together, but it’s up to those behind the screen to put that power to use for the greater good.
The egg is all fun and games, but it’s time to harness the power of social media and make an actual difference.
Joanne is a senior at American Heritage School in Plantation, Fla. As a third-year staffer and second-year editor-in-chief, she loves immersing herself in the journalistic field and writing for her publications. Outside of newspaper, Joanne is also co-president of the English Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta math honor society, where she also serves as the student delegate state secretary. Among the other clubs she is a part of, Joanne is also secretary of the linguistics team and Chinese Honor Society, as well as treasurer for Quill and Scroll. In her free time, Joanne loves practicing her photography and going to concerts.
