Did Instagram destroy Photography?
Instagram: The app that was created to share images, and capture moments, aiming at photographers of all sorts, still frame creators, is more and more turning into a giant mess filled with nudity, borderline pornography, ads everywhere, and an identity crisis that most likely will get worse (These pictures have nothing to do with this monologue of mine and are just some aesthetic touches to this fairly negative topic).
It started as a great idea, especially for photographers to share their images on one platform, reaching a new audience, it evolved since then into a TikTok copy prioritizing influencers, fake/real celebrities, and video-based content (not to mention the sweet home of all the pedophiles lurking in those DMs and comment sections of underage girls, well done IG).
But how did this toxic space affect photography negatively? After all, it is a great space for artists to communicate, gain inspiration and share their work, right?
Even though the intentions are great, it seems like to force everyone to play by Instagrams rules, to favor the algorithm and post cringe reels, which has nothing to do with the artform of photography itself and serves as a way to reach people, which isn't possible through pictures alone, except it contains female nudity of any form.
This generation became absolutely desensitized due to the sheer amount of content on their screens, which in my opinion leads to the drop in quality of this artform in favor of the algorithm.
Instagram seems to actively discourage people and photographers from posting quality content, by pushing fake influencers, borderline teen pornography, and an insane amount of ads to the people. Oh, you have a well-composed, nice picture of a landscape? Sorry, it's not a Reel, or a butt pic, here are 5 likes for you :)
The best chance in my experience to grow on this rotten platform is to grow on other platforms, which ripples down to Instagram, of course, there are exceptions too.
Remember the times, were pictures served as a precious piece of memory? Just the mindset alone, that you have 24 or 36 frames a roll, which shouldn't be wasted, and then the satisfaction of seeing your pictures on paper, in albums. I remember clearly when we used to gather around the freshly developed photographs and reminisce about those memories during the family vacation etc. When was the last time you looked at the thousands of pictures and selfies taken on your screen?
I will hope that this platform changes for the better, listens to its users, and goes back to its roots. Share your thoughts, have an amazing day, and take some great pictures!
