Hate love it is the most accurate way to describe my feelings to Instagram 2018. Not so long time ago, a year from now, I found Instagram the most pleasant and fun social media of all, especially for artists. Do I still think this way? To understand my feelings we have to go back in time and we even don’t need the Einstein Rosen bridge 😉
Time machine – Instagram 2012
It is 12th of June 2012 when I post my first photo on Instagram.
I love everything about this app – cool retro camera in the logo, simple interface, filters which change ugly, grainy phone camera photos to nice looking images.
Images are playing the main role and a text just accompany them. Not like on Facebook, where there is a flood of not interesting content form close and barely known people. I am delighted and readily post there photos from my garden, interesting moments from my journeys, sketches which I share with a narrow circle of friends.
I notice a present of my favorites illustrators quickly and I also change the account type to public. I post more painting process photos, illustrations, and art stuff. I take photos with a professional camera instead of my phone more often.
I use Instagram to promote my illustrations but also to peeping my favorite artists, magazines, and brands. Despite being allergic to any kind of advertisement, I gladly see promotional content from accounts which I picked to follow. Because I am really interested, not because somebody thought I should be…
Instagram gives an opportunity to look over other peoples shoulder to see how an artwork is brought to life. I can see that artspace of my favorite artists is just as messy as mine 🙂 There is no such a distance between users as on Facebook. We can have an impression, we are closer to people we admire. It was before a time of sleek interiors, perfect breakfasts in bed or artificial life.
And then the Facebook bought Instagram for one milliard of dollars and the changes are on their way…
Good change
Changes are natural and we can never stop them. We only can make them good or bad. And there was a lot of good changes indeed.
Here are some of them:
- Direct Message – I can use Instagram as a communicator (cool!)
– I can switch my account from personal to business type and have access to all interesting statistics - I can add more than one photo in one post (I don’t have to choose between two great shot of the same topic)
- opportunity to post photos visible only for friends- only circle – so you can have private and public account at the same time on the same account – I really like it!
- I can follow not only other users but also hashtags and see them in my feed
- InstaStories – short photos/videos which are available to see only for 24 hours and then disappear (unless you want to save them on featured InstaStories). It allows to being more open and spontaneous
- there is a lot of new filters and funny gifs which can be used on photos/videos in Insta Stories (I can spend definitely too much time playing them)
- we can use Instagram as Pinterest and save inspiring photos on our private boards (my favorite option!)
Bad, bad, bad change…
So there is a lot of cool things but… I see also a dark side of changes which make me wonder if maybe I should start looking a new place for myself. Because:
- advertisements are everywhere and too frequent! In my feed, on InstaStories… I am sure that sooner or later the will appear also in explore section…
- a sea of creation instead of real-life stories – that is how Instagram looks today. It has some bright sides – there is a ton inspiration in such a stylized photos, but I miss authenticity more and more
- there is a new section which driving me mad in my feed – recommended posts. If I want to search for new accounts to follow I use Explore section, There is no need to show me them and make my feed more messy and annoying! I have noticed, the recommended posts are showing always before I scroll my feed to a place I have seen before – so cheap way to keep my attention longer…
- the chronological order of posts in the feed was something which distinguishes positively Instagram from Facebook, but this order is dead now… Sadly now Instagram, just like Facebook decides instead of me what content should I see… and, let’s say it loud, I believe I know that better than them! It is possible that I won’t see some content from people at all because Instagram will find them not so interesting! It really pisses me off!
If not Instagram, then what?
So this is cons and pros of Instagram 2018 from my perspective.
I still like it much better than Facebook (ugh! the only value of Fb is groups in my opinion). Instagram is still growing, it is the best place for finding inspirations next to Pinterest, it is possible to have a really great contact with your publicity there, and it is still fun to use it.
But…
we know the direction which it aims from what was happened with Facebook, and I definitely don’t like it. That is why I am searching a new place.
I was thinking about Tumblr – it was my favorite place before Instagram and it is still really a nice platform where the images are in the first place. The phone app is really nice to use and advertisements aren’t so annoying. But I have an impression that Tumblr’s days of glory are gone.
What remains?
Blog – I think.
On my own domain and hosting – it is a place where I set the rules. Social media and their rules are still changing, in most cases, I don’t like the direction so building community around blogs seems to be a much better solution.
That’s why I will do my best to be present here more frequently. I hope you will drop by from time to time and leave me some comment to let me know you are also here!
If the Instagram annoys only me? Maybe you think I am overreacting and insta is still the coolest place on the internet?
Or maybe you have never liked it? And if not Instagram then what?
I would like to know your thought about this!