The golden egg

05 February 2019   •  
Written by Lou Tsatsas
The golden egg

The Instagram account world_record_egg published the world’s most liked pictured on the platform, last January: an egg. On February 4th, the account shared a new strange video.

On January 4th 2019, the Instagram account world_record_egg broke the Internet by becoming the world’s most liked picture on the social media. The publication was the image of a simple egg, with a legend inviting the account’s followers to like the picture, in order to beat socialite Kylie Jenner’s record. One month later, the egg has now accumulated more than 52 million likes, and its Instagram, more than 10 million followers. A successful gamble for Chris Godfrey, the 29-year-old advertising creative based in London, and owner of the account.

A success that may raise a few questions: how could this egg beat such a record so fast? What were Chris Godfrey’s motivations? Why did he choose to feature this particular food? Though the post’s absurdity is obvious, it highlights the power of social networks. On a platform such as Instagram, an egg has suddenly become more important than a popular influencer. A nod at the media’s importance in our society. “An egg has no gender, race or religion. An egg is an egg, it’s universal”, the account’s owner tells the New York Times, to explain his curious choice.

Help mentalities evolve

Following the first post’s success, the Instagram account published a second image, on January 18th: a mysterious cracking egg. Three other pictures followed this first clue, showing a more and more cracked shell. On February 2nd, world_record_egg announced “everything will be revealed this Sunday, following the Super Bowl”. The result was surprising: an ad, produced by American streaming platform Hulu, showed the egg addressing the audience. “Recently I’ve started to crack. The pressure of social media is getting to me. If you’re struggling too, talk to someone”. A reference to the impact of social media, and the falsely perfect life they advertise.

“Egg Gang’s first creative project is an awareness piece”, Chris Godfrey and his partners explain. By accompanying this ad with a hashtag, #talkingegg, and a website referencing associations dedicated to mental health, the Instagram account wishes to help mentalities evolve. Though the creator of world_record_egg acknowledges his first idea was a simple “trend”, he now wishes to use this popularity cleverly. “It has been a fluke, but it’s a fluke that caught the world’s attention,” he told the New York Times. “It’s what you do with that attention that counts.” A good way to rethink the role of influencers on Instagram.

© Shutterstock

© Shutterstock

Explore
Instagram selection #312
Instagram selection #312
Through portraits or landscapes, the artists of our Instagram selection #312 never stop experimenting. All of them seek new textures and...
24 August 2021   •  
Written by Joachim Delestrade
Salvador Dalí, lava lamps and Rock en Seine: Emma Birski's Chinese portrait
Salvador Dalí, lava lamps and Rock en Seine: Emma Birski’s Chinese portrait
"Photography is a way of expressing myself and staging things that I imagine beautiful, but that I will never see in real life," Emma...
18 August 2021   •  
Written by Finley Cutts
Instagram selection #310
Instagram selection #310
Magic, fantasy, abstraction, humour... By playing with genres and emotions, the photographers of our Instagram selection #310 highlight...
10 August 2021   •  
Written by Fisheye Magazine
Readers picks #352
Readers picks #352
Both passionate about the photographic medium since childhood, Samantha Lomprez and Margot Gremillon – our readers picks #352 – find in...
09 August 2021   •  
Written by Lou Tsatsas
Our latest articles
View all articles
Readers picks #355
Readers picks #355
Alexander Kaller and Stephen Sillifant, our readers picks #355, both escape the frenzy of our world to produce peaceful images – a...
30 August 2021   •  
Written by Fisheye Magazine
British seaside, round animals and Céline Sciamma: Max Miechowski's Chinese portrait
British seaside, round animals and Céline Sciamma: Max Miechowski’s Chinese portrait
Trained as a musician, British artist Max Miechowski turned to photography after a long trip to Southeast Asia. Portraits...
25 August 2021   •  
Written by Lou Tsatsas
Instagram selection #312
Instagram selection #312
Through portraits or landscapes, the artists of our Instagram selection #312 never stop experimenting. All of them seek new textures and...
24 August 2021   •  
Written by Joachim Delestrade
The labourer who turned mud into silver
The labourer who turned mud into silver
With Zilverbeek (Silver creek), Lucas Leffler explores the myth of a worker who made his wealth from the mud that lined the bottom of a...
23 August 2021   •  
Written by Finley Cutts