Damn these algorithms
I'm not quitting Instagram, but something has to change
I don’t know about you, but I’m generally disillusioned with my social media habit. And yet, like millions of people worldwide, I complain about these apps but keep using them. It’s frustrating. Instagram has many issues, but I still find a lot of value in it week after week — discovering new artists, seeing excellent photography, and messaging creative colleagues. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that the overall experience is lacking, and it’s bumming me out.
Occasionally, I brainstorm in public, and I posted this note the other day. The comments were encouraging, and I’m thinking about it again this afternoon.
I wrote this post after realizing again that I depend too much on algorithm-driven social media to promote the artists I believe in. That means an AI decides whether you even see the work I share. It’s an infuriating situation, and I know many of you feel the same way. Clearly, we’re stuck in an abusive relationship with Meta!
When I started FlakPhoto twenty years ago, blogging was the way. You wrote something, clicked publish, and an RSS feed delivered it directly to your readers. The old independent Web of the 2000s and 2010s focused on sharing links, not gaming algorithms or chasing views. A genuine arts community grew out of those blog conversations. It was a lot of fun and very inspiring. I met many of you back then.
Writing this newsletter has been lovely because it has rekindled my enthusiasm for showing photography on a website instead of a feed-based mobile app. It’s a subtle distinction, but not insignificant, mainly because images look better on a big screen and because slow looking pays dividends. I need to get back to that.
So, just a short post to say that as we crest into September and the third anniversary of my FlakPhoto reboot, I’m developing a new feature, probably weekly, that will be short and sweet and much like the original FlakPhoto blog I published back in the day. Remember that?
My goal is to show you an outstanding photograph and introduce you to an artist, hopefully someone you haven’t encountered before. We’ll see how it develops, but it’ll be simple: a picture, possibly a bio, and a link to see more on their website. I don’t plan to quit Instagram, but I need to reboot my relationship with it. When an old friend keeps letting you down repeatedly, it’s time to reconsider your connection.
I always worry about sending you too many emails, so I hope a weekly photograph, along with my occasional posts, won’t be an intrusion. Please let me know what you think. And if you make images and want to show something here, email me.
My genuine thanks for endlessly searching for better options.
I loathe Instagram / Meta and unfortunately if the medium is the message then every photographer is a writer on substack and to be blunt this platform is full of great writing (most of which is not by photographers.)
Instagram is too shallow and gamified, substack is too content heavy.
Where is ArtStack!
I think embracing blogging/web 1.0 is the way to go. There seems to be a real appetite for it.