Who else wants to ditch Instagram?
I started writing this post a few weeks ago. Before someone called Kim Kardashian expressed her disappointment at the way Instagram was heading; before Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, made a public statement explaining the changes and before it was all over the news.
So I'm either ahead of the zeitgeist, or lazy at leaving this post unfinished for so long.
I made a mistake
One day I was absent-mindedly scrolling through Instagram and briefly looked at a Reel of a cute dog. I like cute dogs. I live with one.
Now all I see are Reel after Reel of cute dogs.
I don't go onto Instagram to look at them. I go onto Instagram to look at photos by the talented people I follow.
This is getting harder and harder to do.
Reading tweets by people I respect on Twitter shows I'm not the only one bemoaning the latest changes to Instagram and wailing for alternatives.
Once upon a time
Instagram was launched on 6th October 2010. I joined on 3rd December 2010. Within a year it grew from one million to 10 million users.
At the time camera phones were poor and the Instagram filters helped to make them look good.
Like all great ideas, Instagram combined existing trends and made something new.
In 2010 Flickr (pioneer of Web 2.0 and missing vowels) was the leading photo sharing website. While Hipstamatic was the leading app for taking photos and simulating retro films on your phone.
However neither platforms made it easy to share your photos.
The Instagram founders saw an opportunity. Like iTunes made it easy to stream music, Instagram made it easy to share photos from your camera phone.
Hipstamatic and Flickr faded as Instagram grew.
Instagram now
Instagram started purely as a photo sharing website and like any good product it has changed - some changes have been welcome and some not.
They are masters of seeing trends and incorporating them into their platform.
They removed the caption limit to compete with blogs, introduced Stories to head off Snapchat, launched IGTV as an alternative to YouTube and developed Reels to take on TikTok.
I tolerated these changes despite them diverting me away from my central reason for using the app - to share and see photos. They were there, but didn't get in the way too much.
However in 2019 they introduced an in-app checkout. Shopping was taking over at the expense of content. It was too much for me.
I gave up Instagram for about six months.
However, I returned. There were people I missed. Despite the impediments to seeing their photos, there was just enough to keep me interested.
But now there is another thing… Reels is taking over.
It's not new features that I mind. They are popular and who am I to stop people enjoying themselves?
It's the dominance of the algorithm and the lack of choice for users to curate their own timelines.
The algorithm decides what I see... ads, reels, suggested posts all clutter up my timeline and dilute my ability to see the photos of the interesting people I have chosen to follow.
In a recent scroll here is a summary of the first 20 items:
8 photos by people I follow.
7 Reels (5 with cute dogs) - I don't follow any of these people.
4 sponsored posts.
1 suggested banner.
The above demonstrates the TikTok-isation of Instagram. Over 1/3rd of posts in this unscientific experiment are TikTok style Reels from people I don't follow. The algorithm has served them up to me just because I once looked at a Reel of a cute dog.
I would be happy seeing 16 photos by people I follow and 4 sponsored posts. I get to see what I want, Meta receives income from advertisers
(note: there is the ability to just view Followers photos but it's buried. I'm trying to form the habit of going straight there).
What are the alternatives to Instagram?
I'm keen to ditch Instagram. In my failed trial last year I couldn't find a better alternative. Mainly because most people I follow are most active on Instagram.
With all the recent press, perhaps this is our chance? Perhaps there are enough of us willing to escape and find a new home?
Here are some alternatives... please let me know where you end up so I can say hello.
Flickr
I joined Flickr in 2006. For a few years I probably spent more time on there than any other website.
It was the best place to share photos and talk to fellow photographers. Their groups were brilliant for building communities around genres or gear.
It also has a special place in my heart because it is where the Bradford on Avon Photography Group was started. We are still going strong 13 years later.
I began posting photos on Flickr again when I was on my sabbatical from Instagram. A few old contacts from years gone by were still holding out, but it was still too quiet.
For old times sake, this is where I would like us all to congregate.
Flickr offers a free account (supported by ads) so it's easy to give it a go. Or you can pay £60 per year for no ads and unlimited photo storage.
Glass
Glass launched in August 2021 as an antidote to Instagram. I joined straight away. It’s an app dedicated to showing photos in the best possible way. No ads, no algorithms, no invasive data tracking and they are an independent business.
But it is quiet. Quieter than Flickr. I don't know anyone. There are many talented photographers but it feels a bit ‘stock photo’ to me. Photos are too digitally perfect. I like things to feel more natural and informal. Glass needs to relax.
It started as an iPhone app only. It now has web and iPad versions. An Android app launch is imminent so maybe more of you will join?
Glass costs £25.99 per annum. It doesn't have ads to support it. I'm fine with that, but it is a barrier for those who are used to their 'free' Instagram account.
Tumblr
Since the latest Kardashian fuelled controversy, many on my Twitter feed are asking who is reawakening their Tumblr account?
I discovered my dormant account had been commandeered by someone dodgy (please don't look - it has nothing to do with me). I created a new one today.
Tumblr was launched in 2007. A time when it was de-rigeur to drop a vowel. Compared to the popular blogging platforms at the time (Wordpress, Type Pad and Blogger), it made it easy to quickly post a photo, a quote, a video, or text.
It has survived but it still looks the same as it did when I last used it (maybe 10 years ago)? It’s a bit messy but if there’s enough of you on there, I’ll visit more.
It’s free if you don’t mind ads.
Instagram chronological feed
One option to get around Reels and have a chronological feed of the people you follow is to click on the Instagram logo and then Following. It has made my time on Instagram much more appealing.
This is probably the best short-term option until enough of use are willing to hold hands and jump together.
