Instagram does work in Cuba. But without a VPN, you will lose some features. Such as the ability to add music to stories, or the ability to track viewer metrics.
Yet, Instagram’s functionality is not the most important thing you need to know about Instagram in Cuba. What you need to know about Instagram in Cuba, is that you shouldn’t believe what you see or read on the platform.
Most of the photos and reviews you will see on Instagram in Cuba are fantasy, not reality. Every Cuban you see on Instagram, will be posing in front of beautiful hotels, in pools or sharing photos and reviews of restaurants.
And here’s the kicker, the Cubans you see are often not staying in those hotels and are unable to pay for their own food to review. The reviews you see on Instagram, are more often than not, paid endorsements.
Becoming An ‘Influencer’ Is An Aspiration Among The Young in Cuba
Being an ‘influencer’ is actually considered a viable career path, among the young. And to fund that lifestyle, they’re often reliant on the kindness of foreigners.
Let’s take the fancy hotel photoshoots that you will often see on Instagram, for the big Hotels in Havana. Did you know that they charge a small admission fee, to get up to the roof top bars and pools in those hotels?
And did you know that more often than not, the only thing the Cuban is doing is paying admission to the pool area, maybe buying a drink and then taking a million photos of themselves for Instagram? That is, unless they were escorting a foreigner.
While they’re always sure to tag the hotel and use the relevant hashtags, while praising the venue, they can’t actually afford to stay there. And reviews of an establishment from someone who isn’t a real customer, are worth less than the time it takes you to view the post and read the review.
Reviews from individuals who have never traveled, have nothing to compare a particular experience to and who have not paid to stay at a venue, are worth even less still. Instagram reviews and posts from Cubans in Cuba, are worth less than garbage.
Every Cuban of Generation Z, will continue to shake their ass on Instagram, thinking they’ll become the next Kardashian. While reliant on the kindness of others to fund their lifestyle. But you shouldn’t make decisions based on their heavily edited photos and useless reviews.
Is Instagram Good For Researching Cuba?
Instagram is completely useless for researching restaurants and hotels in Cuba. As are Google reviews, unless you weed out all the fake reviews from ‘influencers’ or the establishment reviewing itself.
My advice to you, if you’re looking for reviews about Cuba, is to read a lot of blogs like this one and also visit ‘TripAdvisor.com‘ to read the forums. And for questions about establishments, Quora is also useful. Just be sure to ignore all the social media noise, because it’s all worthless garbage.
Where Can I Get More Information About Cuba?
I’ve made my Complete Guide To Traveling Cuba available on this website. And I recommend you read it, before traveling to Cuba. It will help you navigate Cuba and Cuban society.
My Cuba travel guide will save you a lot of time and money on your next trip to Cuba. Cuba is not the sort of destination in which you can arrive unprepared. Read the most complete Cuba Travel Guide.
