To find out more about the Who.is.making.these Instagram account, we got in touch with the page's creator, Jimi. He was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and explain exactly how this account came to be.
"It was February, just before the [COVID] crisis started. I followed a few pages that posted images that were just so funny to me," he shared. "That led me to the creation of the page where I posted similar images. What followed were almost two years of drowsing between 200-600 followers with low motivation, when one day I had a post that got picked up by the algorithm."
"It pushed me past a thousand followers, and since then I never stopped gaining followers," the creator continued. "It’s great having a slightly big and growing community, but the followers from the beginning days that are still here will always be close to my heart."
We were also curious about how Jimi decides which images to post. "I used to have a running joke on Q&A stickers where I stated that I find pictures in abandoned buildings, underground hallways, whatever, and that I share those pictures to ‘figure out who made’ them," he shared. "But in reality, it’s a long search through the internet, and sometimes I get sent some by followers."
The creator also pointed out that there are certain categories of cursed images. "For instance, some circulate the internet already and are known classics, while others are more than a decade old and are ‘hidden gems’, so to say," he explained.
"I most often try to post pictures I like and I think will do well within Instagram’s algorithm, which is interesting of itself. I could go on about this, but it comes down to that Instagram has notable difference of style of cursed images compared to other social media. I try to not blatantly copy other pages though," Jimi added with a smile.
So why do people love these cursed images so much? "Back when I started the page, cursed images were much more liked and shared (on Instagram at least)," Jimi says. "I wouldn’t be surprised if a good portion of my current followers don’t even know that what I post are called cursed images. But even though the internet’s trends change rapidly, I think there are always people who love some absurdity once in a while. Like memes, they will always be a part of social media posts."
"Additionally, I believe cursed images to be a special kind of meme. It often doesn’t have a text to explain anything, and many times is not too obvious to the viewer," the creator shared. "They scroll on but then scroll back to see what was really going on in that image. That’s what I like about it at least."
Finally, we asked Jimi about some of his personal favorite cursed images. "It’s hard to choose from the thousands of pictures I’ve posted over the years, but I think I like cat pictures the most," he says. "Probably the oldest kind of memes, which is why there is such a good amount of them." He noted that it's hard to pick favorites, since he likes most of the images he posts, but you can find a few of his favorites from 2024 here, here and here.
"While most pictures are funny, not all are absurd," Jimi added. "[Here] is a classic image that I’ve always liked very much, since it conveys so much with so little. [This one], however, is just really funny. Try to figure out which one the absurd one is."
When it comes to what makes the perfect cursed image, The Next Web says there’s a bit of a formula that many on the internet have managed to perfect. First, they note that the best ones actually require skill to create. The subject or photographer must be dedicated to creating an image that evokes emotion and might even require physical skill.
For example, taking the time to create an elaborate outfit consisting of only ingredients for sandwiches, freezing cubes of baked beans in an ice tray or committing to covering your laptop in spaghetti is no simple task. And the artists are applauded for their determination to create something cursed.
The Next Web notes that the “building blocks” of the cursed aesthetic include: defamiliarization, high contrast photography (often with flash), and sometimes even “recasting food as a reminder of mortality and lack of agency.” The image must include objects that we all know and love presented in a way that makes them feel foreign. The photo itself also shouldn’t be pleasant to look at. If it’s been taken with flash, the subjects might look much harsher than they would in reality.
Food is an integral part of cursed imagery as well. Sometimes, things like raw meat are used to upset viewers’ stomachs. And other times, things we love, such as ice cream and spaghetti are presented in extremely unappealing ways. Imagine a toilet filled with an ice cream sundae or spaghetti served inside of Crocs shoes. You might normally be happy to see these dishes, but not when they’ve been cursed!
As for why we can’t look away from these unsettling cursed images, Francis McAndrew, a professor of psychology at Knox College, told Paper his theory. “We are drawn to 'cursed images' because they somehow present us with a nagging ambiguity," he shared. "Things that we cannot quickly make sense of trouble us and hold our attention, and we feel compelled to analyze them until we feel as if we understand them."
We might also be strangely comforted by these images that make no sense, as the world around us tends to make less and less sense every single day. “The cursed image offers us a perverse sense of comfort by reaffirming the fact that it's not just us who seem to be going crazy,” Matt Moen writes for Paper.
