Do you have a second Instagram account? And if you said no … are you lying?

Because the concept of owning multiple accounts on Instagram is well-accounted for. There’s your rinsta (real Instagram), which is most-likely the first account you ever made, that has everyone from your cousin’s ex husband to the girl you met in a bar bathroom once and drunkenly promised the world to. And then there’s your finsta (fake Instagram), probably an account you use to post the real you, a version that’s unrefined, and raw around the edges. That’s where the selfie that’s a little risque goes, or maybe a strangely moving post about how much the Madagascar movie means to you. 

Everyone wants to star in the performance that is social media, but the tax that it requires of you is sometimes too grave. Which is why finstas exist - you can like, post, and comment anything, whilst also getting to opt out of the societal judgement that is par for the course with your main account. I can like a reel on my burner about Ice T and Coco’s everlasting love while sharing it to my story with the caption “this or nothing”. No makers to answer to. The world ahead of me.

But the burner also serves a more important purpose, which is the chance to lurk without repercussions. Whether we want to admit it or not, checking people’s Instagrams is half the experience. Mostly out of curiosity, sometimes out of boredom, occasionally out of spite. And as someone who often gets tasked with scoping out a friend’s new love interest, I consider it a necessary and slightly hilarious evil. 

Is it healthy? No! But we’re human. We’re curious and messy and love the spectacle of things. We live in a timeline where a reality TV star is our president and actively making the worst decisions possible for our country. It is what it is. 

Which is why it’s so funny and ultimately, extremely relatable, when celebrities also choose to debase themselves in this juvenile behavior. Especially when you’re arguably someone who “has it all” for example, like Channing Tatum.

Channing Tatum’s burner account was exposed last week, (his IG handle eloquently being @bidness_nonya), where he was caught leaving less than Christian comments on posts about his ex Zoe Kravitz and her new fiancee Harry Styles, calling her at best, intentional, and at worst, calculative. Also on his finsta agenda included shouting out his homegirl, Ayo Edibiri, for her role in Inside Out (“Love her … and she’s just getting started!), and of course, hyping himself up, where he commented on a post of himself saying, “so genuine … funny as hell too”. 

Reactions varied. Some dismissed his behavior as "washed celebrity vibes," but most people praised him for the quality celebrities secretly covet most: being seen as real. He was even bestowed with the honorary title of “being one of the girls”. All because he was caught being slightly mean-spirited on social media.

Like with anything, whether you’re a celebrity, or a brand, or just some dude, it’s not always about being right. It’s about being real as fuck.