Instagram: "We're no longer a photo-sharing app."
-
I am ambivalent about social media in general.
In this particular case, I do not think you need to give up a platform just yet if you are active there. Think about Twitter, a platform was mainly for posting a short text updates, yet ironically, now is one of the main platforms editors looking for new illustrator talents.
The software developer's intension does not always lined up with the platform user's intension.
-
As much as I love Instagram, I've never used it the "right" way anyway, so for me, this news just means my posts that never reached anyone in the first place will still never reach anyone... At least now they're upfront about it. It's kind of a relief. I could never drum up enough motivation to play in their Algorithm Games anyway.
I think I just stopped using social media in general for anything but sharing what I happened to complete that day in my studio. I enjoy the little happy hormone rush from the likes and comments, but leveraging those posts into something substantive was something I think I knew I was never going to accomplish. I just post what I want when I want. And I can't let it be anything more than that or I'll be continually disappointed trying to make it do something I don't think it has done for a very long time.
I honestly think people nowadays just like to see pretty, funny, diverting, or distracting things in their feeds. And they may quickly and effortlessly "like" it or post a quick comment, but the days of people taking the next step and actually moving off the platform to pursue their curiosity or interest in something they saw disappeared a long time ago.
Children's Illustration Portfolio: https://www.coreyartusillustration.com
Art Portfolio: https://www.coreyartusimagery.com
Mastodon: https://mindly.social/@Coreyartus
Pixelfed: https://pixelfed.social/Coreyartus -
@Coreyartus said in Instagram: "We're no longer a photo-sharing app.":
my posts that never reached anyone in the first place will still never reach anyone
Laughing so hard because I'm thinking the same thing.
-
But mom can still like my post, right?
-
This post is deleted! -
@Ghartark
haha! I love this. -
Does the instagram guy in that video remind anyone else of Wreck it Ralph? I couldn't help thinking about it the whole time.
-
@Cayleen i’ve given up building a following on instagram. The reason I still post on IG is to reward the few who chose to follow me.
-
@Cayleen It's taken this long for me to create a place for my work on IG. Though to clarify he did say "We’re no longer JUST a square photo-sharing app." So I'll have to see. Artfol is yet to be offered for computer/laptop ppls?
-
There are some new art-oriented platforms that have come into existence lately that seem to be getting a lot of attention, but I don't anticipate they will gain the same popularity that the current giants. Neither uses the same type of algorithm that most social media platforms employ, as both seem to downplay the "popularity = reach" paradigm.
Artfol is growing rapidly, but I think it has an emphasis on its internal community more than anything else. I don't see many people on there using the app to connect with non-artist followers, so it's more like ArtStation or Behance or DeviantArt than Instagram, in my opinion. There's a lot of anime and manga on there, and from what I've seen the user base seems to skew toward a younger crowd of teens and young adults. At least in my opinion. It has optional challenges, a community message hub, a method for asking for critique, and it limits the number of hashtags and categories one can use when uploading your work.
Bubblehouse has some very very cool design features for display, and seems to have a LOT of non-artist users. It's only iOS right now, but will be getting to Android soon. There's more of a variety of art including photography, comics, and animation Bubblehouse. The app still crashes at times for me, personally, and there are a lot of "placeholder" accounts with one or two images, but it's the closest "replacement" I've found to Instagram. It's very slick, but currently has a very small user base.
Anyway, thought I'd share the two alternatives that have wafted into my life currently. I doubt they'll ever reach the levels of popularity that our current slate of social media platforms has, but they're interesting to explore.
