Why I Quit Instagram
I recently quit Instagram. I’m surprised if you haven’t heard, it was in all the newspapers.
My decision to quit Instagram was not an easy one, born of weeks if not months of introspection. For reasons both personal and ethical I could no longer in good conscience be a part of the Meta machine (full disclosure, as of this writing I am still on Facebook, though that too will soon be a thing of the past). There are numerous accounts out there by artists who have quit social media and in particular Instagram, many of them ironically on YouTube. While the overall reasons are similar, there are differences according to the individual.
First, let me begin with the reasons that are not behind my decision to leave.
Algorithms. Yes, the constantly evolving algorithms seem to do little more than increasingly stifle the reach of our posts. However, I learned early on that Instagram and Facebook would never contribute much to my bottom line. The increasing lack of reach, while annoying, ultimately never concerned me much.
Ads. What can you say, ads are now everywhere on social media when they didn’t use to be. Such is the way of the world. Everyone needs to make a buck, even Meta.
Greater emphasis on videos. Much was made of Instagram’s decision to place greater emphasis on videos (Reels) than pics, a decision made to counter Tik Tok’s success. Photographers left Instagram in droves, preferring what at first appeared to be greener pastures on Vero. Let me know how that worked out. Again, whatever. What’s the difference between 100 likes and 500? 400 likes. That’s it.
Privacy concerns. As someone who creates, I should be appalled and insulted by Instagram’s privacy policies, specifically that we grant Instagram a royalty-free exclusive license to use our photos however they wish. And yet, for some reason, I just can’t get myself all worked up over it. Odd. Although, the more I think about it…
Now for the reasons I did leave:
The ethical and moral shortcomings of social media have been well-documented in recent years. By now we all realize the addictive nature of social media and its ability to hijack our attention, all in the name of increased ad revenue. What many don’t realize, however, is the cost of that hijacked attention in terms of our ability to focus and be productive in our daily lives. I have found myself reaching for my phone or checking Facebook or Instagram on my computer while I was working every five minutes just to see if there were updates, an almost Pavlovian response. It has been shown that this interruption in attention and focus severely inhibits our cognitive abilities. One may argue that it takes discipline on the part of the viewer. While true, we need to recognize that these platforms have been engineered this way. Extremely bright people have been paid millions of dollars to make these sites addictive. It’s a stacked deck we’re up against.
Much worse in my mind is that social media rewards and even encourages incendiary and outrageous rhetoric as it has been linked to more prolonged engagement on social media. How sick and twisted is that? Again, more engagement leads to greater ad revenue. See where this is going? It all boils down to making more money at the expense of our personal and societal well-being. Last September Meta disbanded its “Responsible Innovation Team,” a group made to address “potential harms to society” caused by Facebook’s products. ‘Nuff said. This is a broad topic that deserves greater attention beyond the scope of this humble blog. For those of you interested in learning more about these topics, I highly recommend Johann Hari’s book, Stolen Focus.
Moral outrage aside, my primary motivation for quitting Instagram is much more personal. To put it simply, I could no longer deal with all the noise. The endless posting of photos and stories (not to mention Reels) became too much to healthily consume. There have become too many “celebrity” photographers who seem more influencers than artists. Can one be both? If so, I have no desire to be the former in service of the latter. Artists used to pursue their vocation privately, allowing us only glimpses when they were ready. Today everything is public. Most of it should remain private as it is of little interest to anyone but the artist.
The result of all this was that instead of feeling inspired, I found myself drowning in a sea of relentless “content.” I am in no way promoting “photographic celibacy.” My point is that Instagram is not a healthy and useful vehicle for viewing art, a realization that should come as a shock to no one.
It’s been said that “comparison is the thief of happiness.” Try as I might, I couldn’t help but compare myself to other photographers’ work and accomplishments. A scroll through Instagram became a confidence-shattering ritual, at least in the short term. With a little time away my confidence would gradually be restored, only to be crushed again at the next scrolling session. I found I was becoming petty and bitter with envy, qualities that took me farther away from the joy of creating. I didn’t like the person I was becoming.
To be clear, my decision to quit Instagram is a personal one and in no way should be read as an indictment of those who continue to embrace (i.e., tolerate) the platform. With time I realized that social media does not align with my sensibilities and personality. My reticence in quitting sooner was mainly due to a fear of no longer being part of a photographic “community.” Nothing is gained in this life that doesn’t also require sacrifice. I have been exposed to many fine photographers worldwide whose work I admire and find inspiring. This would not have happened were it not for Instagram. There was some good, but ultimately it was greatly outweighed by the bad. I will continue to follow those photographers by visiting their websites on occasion, I hope they do the same, not just my website but each other’s as well. There is life outside of social media for artists, it is not the only path to success. In fact, it may be the thing holding you back.
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