The CIA recently decided to join Instagram and posted their first ever photo on April 25th of what seems to be the staged desk of an agent. The purpose of the photo was to entice new talents into joining the force by displaying small playful nuances such as maps, plants, and inspiration quotes framed on the desk. This isn’t exactly what the public believes the offices of agents really looks like as it takes on a more aesthetic Instagramer’s feel rather than the nuts and bolts of what life as a CIA agent is.
A representative of CIA, Chelsea Robinson, stated that,
“Through the account, we’ll give a peek into Agency life, but we can’t promise any selfies from secret locations. We’re looking to spark the curiosity of Instagram’s users about the many ways CIA’s global mission has us going where others cannot go and doing what others cannot do.”
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In today’s era it came as no surprise that the CIA decided to make this step in the age of social media. Other federal agencies such as NASA and NOAA regularly post on these platforms as a way to connect with the general population. With this said, it should be noted that though the CIA made this account as an avenue to become more transparent with the country’s citizens, Instagram is notorious for its misrepresentation of actuality. Meaning that most content published is carefully staged, edited, and captioned to maximize likes and public image. If this is the case then shouldn’t it be noted that the CIA’s postings could potentially resemble an over-glamorization of the missions and agenda of the agency?
Almost immediately after the picture of the desk went live, the comment section received thousands of questions, responses, and opinions from all over the world. Though intended to be a creative debut captioned with the words “I spy with my little eye…”, there was an overwhelming amount of comments from Russia. These comments ranged from admiration and support of Putin (“Long Live Putin!” (“Слава Путину” !), desperate calls for help from citizens “Please follow me back and take me away“,(“отследите меня пажалуста и заберите“), and interrogating questions directed at the U.S. about spies and the death of Kennedy. These responses brought attention to the harsh reality that a cute picture with bamboo and travel plans doesn’t cover up the fact that the world is plagued with oppression and a toxic, dangerous political climate that isn’t to be overlooked.
The post is up to almost 50,000 likes and thousands of more comments. The world waits curiously to see how the agency chooses to form their online presence and respond to the criticism, global cries, and speculation of the whereabouts regarding the federal agency.
