To avoid the stress of posting on social media, Gen Z users are now "ghost posting" — uploading photos, archiving them immediately, and restoring them days later.
Here's what to know
Ghost posting allows the image to remain on their grid without appearing in followers' feeds. In its report, USA Today said the trend depends on Instagram's archive feature, which launched in 2017 to let users hide posts without deleting them permanently.
Video tutorials frame the method as a way to make a "lowkey post" or add filler to a feed without inviting the usual attention and engagement. Younger users use that option to maintain a curated profile while avoiding some of the pressure of likes, views, and comparison tied to a normal post.
The trend sits alongside other Gen Z social media habits, like private "finsta" accounts and Stories shared only with close friends. Instagram's 2021 move allowing users to hide like counts also pointed to a broader push for an experience that feels less driven by visible metrics.
Riley Meyer, 19, told USA Today that she sometimes wants a picture on her profile even if it is not something she thinks everyone needs to see in their feed.
More background
For Gen Z, posting is often wrapped up in anxiety about seeming awkward or overly eager, as it is now tied to their identity.
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Don Grant, a media psychologist and National Advisor of Healthy Device Management for Newport Healthcare, told USA Today: "They grew up with everything online becoming their social currency and the litmus of who they are."
Pew Research found that around 1 in 5 U.S. teens say they are on TikTok and YouTube "almost constantly," while about half say they use Instagram every day.
Morgan Hurlock, a 24-year-old interviewed by USA Today, said: "There is a pressure amongst Gen Z to always appear authentic, but not authentic to the point where you could be considered cringe."
An April Yahoo/YouGov poll found that more than half of adult Gen Zers said they had held back from expressing themselves online because they feared being seen that way.
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at more Gen Z hot topics.
• Some Gen Z users are regressing back to "dumb phones" to cut screen time.
• At graduation shoots, photographers are being called out for plastic confetti litter left behind outdoors.
• Experts say members of Gen Z have become ungovernable through a controversial vaping habit.
• In New Jersey, Gen Z activists are pushing back against development near Black Run Reserve.
• Nearly 80% of Gen Z is choosing to go meatless at least once a week.
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