I follow 503 accounts onInstagram.
The rest of the profiles belong to people I actually knowfriends, colleagues,familymembers, and so on.
But on January 11, something changed.
Mrs. Griswolduploaded a selfie videoexplaining that she planned to post video diaries more regularly.
She continued by explaining that she wanted to highlight the messy and everyday sides of life.
This content can also be viewed on the site itoriginatesfrom.
Ill be honest, I typically find Instagram videos to be inconvenient and annoying.
Since Im usually browsingsocial mediain public, I rarely have sound onrendering many videos completely pointless.
Then I watched it again.
Then I double-tapped it.
When she posted asecond video diary, I watched and liked it, too.
And when she posted athird, I watched, liked, and commented.
When I went onvacationin March, I missed a couple, and I literally sought them out.
There is no one else I follow with such fervor.
Mrs. Griswold offers a departure from this norm.
Shes not performing for us; shes being herself.
Ive given a lot of thought to why Im so drawn to Mrs. Griswolds videos.
Is it because theyre unlike anything else in my Instagram feed?
While the latter is undoubtedly a factor, I think theres more to it than that.
Mrs. Griswolds videos are something of a return-to-earthand a sweet one, at that.
Theres always a catch.
The celebrity you just followed on Twitter is actually astranger parodying that celebrity.
The actor you just followed on Tumblr is only interacting with you for the sake ofa social experiment.
But with Mrs. Griswold, there is no catch.
Theres no compulsive curation, meticulous editing, or veil of irony to considerno vigilance required.
Shes just enthusiastically sharing her life with the world, and doing so unapologetically.
There is something rare and magical about watching someone broadcast their life with little to no armor on.
Thats exactly what Mrs. Griswold is doing, and I will faithfully tune in until she decides to stop.
