Instagram is Dead. Time of Death: 2024.
The year when social media became unsocial.
I haven’t been active on Instagram since 2018. I stopped posting because I believed there was no longer any reason to promote my photography. At some point, it became more about constantly fighting against the algorithm than engaging with fellow photographers and like-minded people. Six years later, I have decided to give it another go. I still have my Instagram account with 1500+ followers who didn’t unfollow me despite my long hiatus.
Rejoining Instagram, I felt like a newborn in many ways. By 2024, Instagram had transformed into a completely different platform compared to its 2018 version. Features like Stories and Reels marked a notable shift from the Instagram of the past. Back then, the focus was primarily on posting photos; even videos were seen as an odd format. Today, photos are the least common form of self-expression. Most users prefer Reels and Stories because they are more captivating and resonate better with the audience, attracting the most likes, comments, and views. When I reconnected to my account earlier this year, I realized that the rules of the game had changed far more than I had imagined.
Let’s be honest, Instagram was never impartial to digital creators. There were always tricks, schemes, and secret strategies running behind the scenes to favor certain accounts. Yet, back in the day, it seemed somewhat fairer than it does now.
For photographers, gaining followers on Instagram was always quite challenging due to the subjective nature of photography. However, I managed to slowly grow a following for my account. Regardless of the numerous shortcomings and biases against new accounts with fewer followers, the Instagram of the past played almost by the rules. You would post, add your hashtags, and your photos would appear in search results. It was even achievable to find them in those listings, especially if you avoided using the most popular hashtags. Saying all that, my posting routine remained the same over the years: researching hashtags with less competition and staying among the top posts for as long as possible.
But now, this option is gone. Hashtags in the modern version of Instagram don’t work any magic; they are useless. As a result, there is almost no chance that someone will randomly stumble upon your content and start following you out of the blue. Back then, hashtags were used for discovery. Now, Instagram promotes your content if you don’t use them at all. For me, a major setback of the new algorithm is the challenge in searching for smaller accounts with fewer followers that still have a great deal of creative and high-quality content to share. Instagram essentially takes over the driver’s seat and decides everything for you. The algorithm analyzes the posts you like and offers you similar ones from other high-follower accounts. So, if your account isn’t a trendy one on the platform, your posts probably won’t be shown to anyone, even to those who follow you.
This brings up the elephant in the room: Why doesn’t Instagram show my posts to my followers? These people subscribed to my account out of genuine interest, and I never persuaded them to follow me. However, Instagram decides that they cannot see my content in their feed. Why? What’s the point of following someone if the algorithm doesn’t let you see their new posts? Personally, when I like certain content creators, I check for their updates manually, but I can only do this for a limited number of accounts. Because of the platform’s algorithm, I’m continuously misled into thinking that many accounts I follow don’t post anything, which is not true. That’s why I can barely understand the logic behind not showing posts to followers.
These days, Instagram has the final say; the algorithm chooses what I should see and what I shouldn’t. Most of the time, I see accounts with massive followings. If I enjoy watching reels of the British countryside, Instagram will immediately suggest more reels of the British countryside from other digital creators. However, Instagram never recommends accounts with fewer than 10k followers. Frankly, I’m not interested in people who satisfy the platform’s algorithm and copy each other in a rat race for followers and likes. I want to follow someone who adds value and strives to be authentic. In the end, the number of followers doesn’t determine the quality of the content. If Instagram is a social media platform, why are the social components not present at all? Not only am I unable to engage with unknown accounts, but I’m also deprived of the opportunity to connect with my followers and friends.
I tried to post for a couple of months and generally heard crickets. There were hardly any interactions, zero comments, and almost no likes. Back in 2018, when I posted a photo, it didn’t go viral, but I would at least get around 100 likes within the first hour from my followers and hashtags. Now, I’m lucky if I get 100 likes overall.
The word “social” unintentionally underlines that the main goal is to socialize, but after three months, I have no motivation to continue posting. I’m not crazy for likes and comments, but it does feel nice. When you share your work, you get to see others’ response. Their appreciation really boosts your confidence and keeps you motivated to continue your artistic journey, create new content, and push your creativity further. It’s naïve to assume that everyone on Instagram is there to make money; I even highly doubt that it’s actually possible to earn any on that platform. Everyone on Instagram is looking for some sort of validation and connection with like-minded individuals. The current algorithm doesn’t help to achieve this goal; it imposes more barriers and favoritism for a few accounts over many others.
Lately, when I’m browsing for content from other accounts (not influencers, just regular users), I rely on geolocation. It’s the only option I have left to discover photos from accounts with smaller followings. There are many fantastic accounts out there, sharing outstanding ideas, and doing remarkable things. Nevertheless, Instagram seems to have overlooked them because its algorithm passed a verdict that their content isn’t good enough.
No wonder so many users who are tired of jumping through hoops and juggling fireballs, simply prefer to log off, delete their accounts, and leave Instagram for good to seek better chances elsewhere.
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