Dear Instagram, We Need to Talk.
Every other time I’m on my Instagram feed, I accidentally click on a link and get sent to a page asking me to download the app for Threads, Meta’s wannabe X alternative. First of all, I’ve been on Threads. It is legitimately one of the worst places on the internet. Secondly, I don’t want to go to Threads. I am on Instagram because I want to be on Instagram.
Then I go to messages and I am absolutely inundated with nonsense. Right in my face, in the way of my messages is Instant, a goofy, second snapchat-esque disappearing image platform. I can’t opt out of it. It just sits there, getting in my way. On top of my messages are notes, asking what my “vibe” is. My vibe is annoyed, Instagram.
I am annoyed with you, Instagram.
No, no. That’s inaccurate. I am just about done with you. Worse, we all are. The once bustling haven for lovers of photography is now a Frankenstein monster. Bits and pieces of other successful businesses. Whatever you can scavenge or steal in an effort to try an make yourself a bigger whole, unknowingly destroying yourself all the while.
Facebook or Meta (one of the worst rebrandings of all time), whatever it is you’re calling yourself now…
You bought Instagram because you wanted a successful photography platform. Fine. Corporations do this sort of thing all the time. And you even added some improvements at first. Increasing the size of the images from a square to a rectangle was great. Of course, you still limited those dimensions in a way that often messes up people’s shots… but whatever. It was better.
But then you got jealous.
Snapchat is doing well. They have disappearing stories, so you needed disappearing stories. And hey, I actually kind of like stories. I use them often.
TikTok is the biggest thing out there, so you needed your own TikTok. But instead of making a separate app, you integrated Reels into Instagram. And to be fair, I enjoy scrolling through funny reels. I do it too much. I’d almost forgive this, except….
You throttled reels and drowned out actual photographers. You told photographers that they needed to become influencers if they wanted to survive. You helped proliferate a world full of idiots interrupting society to make stupid vertical videos in public places. And you effectively corrupted your own platform.
This was several years ago.
Then you added the threads posts that no one wants. And the notes. And the instants, which as near as I can tell is a crappier version of the stories THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE.
And you’ve killed yourself. You don’t realize it yet. Traffic is still strong. Ad revenue is good. But the word is out. Instagram is a dead platform. It doesn’t matter how good your work is. There are only two ways to build a following now. Either get lucky enough to go viral or spend so much money on ad revenue that it isn’t even worth it.
Instagram is a dead platform and we are sick of it.
Earlier this year I moved over to Substack. And I fucking love it. It is superior to Instagram and every other shitty platform (seriously, Threads is the worst) that Meta has. People are realizing that now and migrating away from Instagram.
To be honest, I am not happy about this. Substack was designed for writers, which of course I am one. I’d prefer to keep it that way. I would prefer that you own up to your mistakes and disassemble the monster you have created. But I imagine you’re too arrogant and too stupid to realize what you’ve done.
Don’t worry. You have a few years left. Even I still post there from time to time. But my attention will be elsewhere. I use you out of habit, not loyalty. And when you’re finally, truly dead, no one will mourn you.
#instagram #threads #tiktok #meta #substack #deadinternet
