Instagram has grown to be one of the most widely used, user-friendly, and creative means of social media of this generation. Its photo newsfeed makes scrolling a leisurely way to see photos of our friends and family. The greatest part of Instagram is the connection it offers between you and creative minds from all over the world. Different accounts offer incredibly pleasing, inspiring, and hilarious content, just waiting for you to see.

These accounts are some of my favorites. Make the most out of Instagram by following more than just your friends and family. The following methods are tried and true from yours truly, a student just like you. You’re welcome in advance.

1. @thisisinsider 

This account is incredible! With its motto being, “Life is an adventure,” it posts daily videos of interesting cultural aspects of different parts of the world. Its topics span from beauty to food to athletics, so there is a video for everybody. The content is well edited, always accompanied with captions and fun music.

Every time I see an Insider video on my newsfeed, I am very excited to spend the next 30 seconds learning. Insider’s videos are distinguished by the wacky topics that aren’t discussed often. The videos’ subjects are always very unique and fun, and genuinely provide me with knowledge that I would otherwise never even think to research. To learn about a nail-painting robot or to see a blooming marshmallow, this account is a must-follow!

 2. @poorlydrawnlines 

Perhaps it is just my strange sense of humor, but whenever I see a new comic that this account has posted, my day is instantly brighter. Poorly Drawn Lines is an account with 350K followers, and they post a different comic every few days. The almost anti-jokes are dripping in sarcasm and cynicism, always told through silly, minimalist cartoon characters. For a quick smile while scrolling down Instagram, I highly recommend this user.

3. @buzzfeedtasty

This account is definitely one of my favorites on the entire website. Tasty is a branch off of the highly popular Buzzfeed community, but this account specializes entirely in posting quick recipes for the most delicious-looking meals. Each post is a minute long video of somebody making a recipe.

My favorite part about the videos is that they are high quality, easy to follow, and always yield the most gratifying results. They post both savory and sweet recipes,

old classics and fun recipe experiments, so even if you are not planning on cooking the foods themselves, you can at least indulge yourself in a quick video.

(To see the greatest video on this planet, watch Tasty’s “The Art of Brownies”. You’re welcome.)

4. @jomnysun 

This account is a bit of a stranger one. Jonathan Sun, a PhD candidate at MIT is famous, primarily, on Twitter (@jonnysun), for portraying “an aliebn confuesed abot humamn lamgauge”. Here, he posts typo-ridden jokes and other funny, sometimes profound, content. On Instagram, though, he plays a different role. He posts screenshots of his own tweets, but the real gems lie in his captions.

Under the photo descriptions, he posts long, existential, and inspiring paragraphs. They usually include a personal story, advice, or a new outlook on life. These paragraphs are simply written, and even include his trademark typo style of writing. However, his writing is really profound and beautiful. Sun’s personality shines through more in these captions, revealing him as an introspective, ambitious, and inquisitive intellect; it’s evident how important the personal connection between users and followers is to him.

  5. @harlowandsage

At the end of the day, Instagram is all about shutting your brain off and just looking at interesting photos. There is no better way to accomplish this than following Harlow, Indiana, and Reese, arguably the cutest dogs on Instagram. At first, Harlow, a Weimaraner, was best friends with Sage, a miniature Dachshund. When Sage passed away, Harlow found new family with Indiana and Reese Lightning. The dogs are guaranteed to make you “aw”, and are bound to put a smile on your face.

Instagram can be used in such an expansive way to gain knowledge about so many different topics. Its users are creative and intelligent and by following different accounts, you can really make the most of Instagram’s potential. It’s an amazing avenue for creativity and creation. Besides connecting directly with your friends and family, mix up your newsfeed with chefs, dogs, and existentialists! Enjoy!