Why I Quit Instagram
In the beginning, I loved Instagram. The elegant square shape of each post reminded me of a Polaroid. The posts were usually visually stunning images accompanied by minimal words. It was a painter’s dream. Then TikTok happened, and Instagram tried to copy it by giving logarithmic preference to video. And suddenly my feed was full of noisy and annoying videos and ads vying for my eye. And my still posts of paintings were no longer seen by many of my friends.
I quit Instagram because I didn't like sharing artwork that was intended for contemplation on a platform that encourages mindless scrolling. It was so demoralizing, and totally at odds with my art practice which is about paying attention.
Further, it wasn't doing much for me practically even after I'd diligently posted for a decade, and it was a huge time/energy suck. I know other artists who get opportunities through IG but mine come through face-to-face relationships and my email newsletter. I barely ever feel tempted to scroll IG. I would rather look at one or two beautiful paintings in depth. I like being intentional about what I take in instead of consuming my random "feed." I still enjoy visiting an artist's IG account and using it like a website from time to time. There are maybe two people that I miss because they only communicate on IG but they weren't enough to make me stay. I kept my Instagram and Facebook accounts because some art applications want you to give them your social media "handles".
Since quitting IG, I've become more social which has opened up far more artistic opportunities for me than social media. I've also become more proactive in seeking out opportunities to generate income. I have more time to put towards my art administration and I don't have to sink energy into generating “engagement” or creating new posts.
I used to put pressure on myself to post new work--often I would post before I was ready. I felt like my work was being judged by the number of Likes I got, and the self doubt and confusion that resulted choked my creative process. I want my art to be coming from inside rather than being influenced by the peanut gallery, or worse yet an impersonal set of logarithms.
I didn't like wondering if the logarithms were working for me or against me. I felt pressured to use certain emotion words, or selfies to try to placate the logarithms. This made me feel inauthentic and mechanical. I felt tempted to envy or depression when I saw people going on expensive, carbon-footprint vacations, or when they posted their perfectly curated moments. Since quitting IG, I've started feeling free, making more work and feeling more contented.
I felt yucky supporting the Instagram/Facebook empire in view of their terrible ethics (they copied slot machines to make their platforms addictive) and used social media ads to manipulate votes in the 2016 election. I am tired of doing all this *unpaid* work so that Mark Zuckerberg and his advertisers can get rich, at the expense of the relationships, time, and mental health of the people I care about. Someday, I hope social media will be a thing of the past. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying putting energy into this website, but more importantly, my art, creating something that is fulfilling and enduring even if it means having a smaller audience. Thank you for reading!