Do we still care about 'Instagram museums'?
Plus, Facebook says it wants to bring back its "original magic." That might be an uphill battle.
Writer’s note: Sorry for the late-night posts twice in a row. You can expect a more frequent cadence as I settle into post-grad life. I know everyone has a lot of emails to read, so I’ll try to make it worth your while. Drop me a line if you think there’s something I should cover.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Refinery29 is bringing back 29Rooms, the "immersive funhouse of culture and creativity" that first debuted during New York Fashion Week in 2015.
The experience returns with the 29Rooms Road Trip, stopping first in Palm Springs from April 12 to 13 with The Lunar Lounge, a "pre-festival pit stop and cosmic recharge," according to an announcement on the Refinery29 website.
"Attendees can expect all the vibes with offerings like astrology readings, beauty touch-ups, DIY fit upgrades, and more—all aimed to get fans glowing, styled, and ready to hit the festival grounds," the website states, adding that the "invite-only event is the first in a series of transformative pop-ups."
29Rooms was last in 2023 in Singapore for a "10-week sensory experience" on the theme of "Lost & Found." Demand increased after 29Rooms' debut, and subsequent years experimented with themes of self-expression, alternate realities, and social activism.
Although described as an "interactive experience," it is considered one of the first "Instagram museums," also known as "selfie museums." Other Instagram museums opened, including the Museum of Pizza, Happy Place, the Museum of Selfies, Color Factory, and Rosé Mansion.
The Museum of Ice Cream, which opened in 2016, is perhaps the most infamous. The "museum" has locations in cities including New York, Boston, and Miami, and features a "sprinkle pool" and unique sweet treats, like ice cream hot dogs.
"Museum of Ice Cream is not a typical museum; it’s an Experium," the website advertises. "Created to celebrate creativity, passion, and innovation, you can learn about ice cream history while enjoying our ice cream-themed installations."
The appeal of "selfie museums" lies in the name: to get pictures for the 'gram. It's not hard to find a pic of the hot pink "celestial subway" somewhere in the Instagram feed of a trendy person who’s visited New York City—perhaps found amongst pictures of perfectly lit avocado toast, a pink wall, neon signs with phrases like "Rosé all day," and poses in front of angel wings.
"It’s not just in New York. Every new café or ice cream shop has to have a wall with some uplifting saying or artwork meant to be posed in front of," replied one Redditor in a thread about the phenomenon.
During the summer of 2020, as some Instagram museums tried to offer virtual experiences, the concept’s glitz had already begun to fade. Forbes reporting by Alexandra Wilson had also revealed the Museum of Ice Cream’s toxic workplace culture.
In the years following, while many pop-up Instagram museums have come and gone, the Museum of Ice Cream continues to draw visitors. But as Instagram culture has shifted over the years to focus on "authenticity," shuffling through a series of rooms for manufactured pictures seems less appealing.
Brand activations and influencer events capitalize on similar aesthetics, but have the added draw of exclusivity—access to a pop-up most people can’t get into, rather than one everyone quickly gets bored of seeing.
So the return of 29Rooms—for the first time in the United States in six years—stood out to me. The move makes sense as an anniversary event, and is aligned with other influencer-heavy Coachella events like Revolve Festival.
Facebook wants to bring its original “magic” back—that will be difficult
Last month, Facebook announced a new "Friends" tab to show users content exclusively from their friends, without recommended content.
The feature is part of an effort to introduce more "‘OG’ Facebook experiences" back into the app, and comes as Facebook has become more synonymous with "AI slop" than genuine connections.
"Connecting with friends has been a part of Facebook since it launched," Meta said in the March 27 announcement. "Over the years, Facebook evolved to meet changing needs and created best-in-class experiences across Groups, Video Marketplace and more, but the magic of friends has fallen away."
"Social media should feel social," the announcement continued—a statement that seems obvious, but is contradicted by other platform changes, like Meta’s AI profiles or the omnipresence of the Meta AI assistant below Facebook posts or in Instagram direct messages.
When I reported on how college students experienced the early days of Facebook, one thing that stood out to me was how much of a free-for-all the app initially was. People posted albums full of cringey party photos, without the same concerns about digital footprint that users have today. After years of targeted ads, news feeds, and recommendation content, I think that original chaotic magic will be hard to recreate.
Niche internet corners
I’ve been enjoying the Facebook page "Secondhand finds weird and wonderful things." There have been some good finds lately.
Memes of the day (follow my Instagram for more)
Re: instagram museums- it feels like we've almost reached a point where we're craving the "nostalgia" of the curation provided by activations like an instagrammable setting. Like we're so exhausted by the "authenticity" culture (which is actually pretty fake especially when pushed on to us by unrelatable influencers) that we're missing the simplicity and orchestration of curated vibes.