【eroticism, spirituality, and resistance in black women's writings】

I used to love Instagram Stories.

After long days at work,eroticism, spirituality, and resistance in black women's writings mindlessly tapping through Stories on the train home became my go-to way to unwind. They're entertaining, carefully crafted, and the perfect way to stay up-to-date with acquaintances, friends, and celebrities. But just as I was about to crown Instagram Stories my favorite social media feature, I accidentally voted in a poll.

My idol, Mindy Kaling, asked followers to let her know if her new bag was cute or not, and because my thumb was recklessly skipping through Stories, I wound up telling her it was ugly. (Mindy if you're reading this, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it.)

I'm sad to say this was not an isolated incident. I've accidentally voted rudely in several other polls since, and have had a number of close calls with Instagram's emoji Quick Reactions feature, too. It's reached a point where the anxiety of accidentally replying to Stories is preventing me from fully enjoying them.

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I'm not the only one who's had these unpleasant experiences with the app.

When I asked my colleagues if they'd ever fallen into the Instagram poll trap, many admitted they had. A few brave souls even offered up some memorable examples that haunt them to this day.

A fellow reporter recalled her most shameful accidental vote, when she disrespectfully said a puppy wasn't a good boy — a nearly unforgivable act. Another colleague chimed in to say that he recently told our Executive Editor to throw out a sweater by unintentionally voting in her poll. Truly tragic.

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Aside from insulting Mindy's fashion sense, one of my most mortifying Instagram poll experiences happened when I accidentally voted to say a high school acquaintance's baked goods looked like "trash" instead of "delicious." I quickly reached out to her in an attempt to right my unintentional wrong, but she never replied.

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Though well-intentioned, Instagram's Quick Reactions emoji feature isn't much better. In certain cases having emoji at your fingertips is definitely more convenient than searching for one, but the feature is enabled by a gentle upward swipe on a phone screen, which can be dangerous.

If people aren't fully paying attention to Instagram Stories, tapping through them too quickly, or using the app when they're about to fall asleep, the slightest move can inadvertently summon emoji reactions.

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Shortly after the Quick Reactions feature was introduced in 2018, an article from New York Magazine's Intelligencer highlighted users' frustrations, but Instagram has yet to improve the design.

Though I've always been able to stop myself before accidentally sending emoji reactions, I havebeen on the receiving end of someone else's mishap, and can confirm that's not too fun either.

After watching the final scene in Season 2 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I posted an Instagram story to express what an absolute ride it was. The following morning, a former colleague replied to my story with an encouraging 💯. Turns out she'd accidentallysent the emoji, and immediately apologized, resulting in the following hilariously awkward exchange.

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As far as social media platforms go, Instagram is still beloved by many, but users have been so impacted by the design flaws in Stories that they've actually taken the time to air their grievances on Twitter.

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So how do we stop embarrassing ourselves?

Ultimately, it's up to Instagram to take the necessary steps to improve their app in a way that will enhance the user experience, but until then, here are some suggestions to avoid accidental Story replies and awkward exchanges with followers.

• Let stories play on their own:It'll take some extra patience, but rather than tapping through stories, let them naturally progress. You'll waste a bit more time on the app, but it'll ensure you don't accidentally tap a poll or swipe up on your screen to send an emoji.

• Create super safe win/win polls: If you're thinking of posting a poll but aren't really in the mood for any negative feedback consider making both options positive or slightly similar. If one option is "Yes!" and another is "100% DO IT RIGHT NOW," for example, there's zero chance someone will offend you with an accidental vote. This option essentially eliminates the need for a poll in the first place, but it's still a fun, thoughtful move.

• Think before you place your poll:If you like using polls you shouldn't give them up just because Instagram didn't fully think the feature through. Taking the location of the poll into consideration, however, can help prevent mistakes. Try to keep polls out of the areas on a phone screen that thumbs are most likely to tap. When in doubt, check out this helpful map I made to guide you.

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• If you mess up, don't make it a big deal: After accidentally sending an emoji reaction, it can be tempting to message the person and tell them you didn't mean to. But if it's not a blatantly weird or offensive reaction, consider just letting them have the compliment. When my former colleague sent me 💯, for example, I thought it was so nice! It wasn't until she called out her error that things got weird.

At the very least, Instagram users can take comfort in knowing these mistakes are widespread. It's awkward as hell, but we'll survive. If anyone who works at Instagram is reading this cry for help, though, making an update that allows us to undo votes and emoji replies would be 😢. Whoops, I meant, 💯.

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