I remember when social media was born. MySpace entered my life in middle school, Facebook in high school. I posted, liked, and followed, but social media wasn't a huge draw for me yet.

By the time I was in college Instagram came onto the scene and I was in love. I remember very clearly the first time I posted.

My friend was telling me about Instagram as we sat in the Student Union eating burritos. I thought it sounded cool, so I downloaded it, made an account, and promptly made a post of the first thing I saw – my water cup. Such art.

I started following "inspo" accounts – mostly of the outdoors, people hiking, camping, and taking beautiful photos.

I started fantasizing about living somewhere else – anywhere else – than where I currently was.

One person I followed incessantly on Instagram shared her story of courageously packing what she owned into her car and moving to Denver from Texas all on her own. Telling her story, living near giant mountains? She was living my dream!

The more I got into Instagram, the more I saw stories like hers. I realized I too could choose how my life would go, instead of staying where I happened to be.

I met people whose thoughts and ideas resonated with mine and I finally got the courage to move somewhere else, the place I now call home, Salt Lake City, UT.

My love affair with Instagram has changed over time. We're out of our honeymoon phase and have entered the challenging years of a long-term relationship. We bicker, I get mad about the constant change, but we always keep coming back together.

The draw of Instagram to me is nostalgia and vulnerable storytelling. Between the rich visual media (I'm a sucker for a good photograph), online friends made, and the comfort of knowing how to use a platform I spent years on, I'll never give up Instagram.

Despite all the new, hip apps that come out I will remain loyal to my first digital love. My digital needs are simple – log on, do some scrolling, see what my friends are up to, and look at some pretty pictures.

I'm just a 30-year-old millennial sticking to what I know.

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