What are your thoughts about Instagram these days?
For me, it’s lost a lot of its luster in the last couple of years and, because I used to love it, I’ve been trying to put my finger on exactly why that is.

I’ve stepped back quite a bit from it since last fall, curious to see how that would feel. Mostly I wanted to figure out why I use it and what I actually get out of it. Granted, the novelty has worn off and I’ve become more protective of my time. But by and large, I’ve decided I’m aggravated by the algorithm and its effects. Obviously, I’m not the first to complain about this issue.

I’ve arrived at a point where I’m on the fence. I’m grateful for the art/artists Instagram introduces me to that I would never see otherwise (and if I’m honest, for the dog and travel videos that give me a lift after the news has fried my brain with its incessant bleakness). But on the other hand, many of the profiles I used to love to follow just don’t show up in my feed anymore. I have to remember who they were and try to seek them out, and that takes even more time, resulting in a diminishing of the sense of community that attracted me in the first place. And I haven’t even mentioned all the ads one has to wade through.

So I’m curious — what are your thoughts about it all? How do you manage the time-suck? Do you find yourself taking more and more time to craft posts or stories with bells and whistles to make them more eye-catching? Have you found a way to get back to seeing the profiles you followed before the algorithm messed around with everything? And are you too feeling overrun by all the ads?

Please share your thoughts. I’d like to think it’s possible to figure out a way to use Instagram again, rather than it using us.

All that said, I’m much more likely to turn to Substack before Instagram these days. I particularly like that the folks who post there seem to be offering information, rather than just a show and tell. Most of what I’ve found at Substack is thought-provoking in a good way. Admittedly, it takes time to read, so I tend to concentrate on just one or two posts at a time rather than mindlessly scrolling through dozens. But I invariably come away with something meaty to think about, and I consider that a success.

Here are a handful of favorite artists/illustrators that I follow:

Harry Stooshinoff
Anna Wilson – A Bottle Full of Rain
Amy Allen – Palate & Palette
Eleanor Doughty – Hand to Paper
Amy Huntington – Blue Crow Studio
Lucia Leyfield – The Ink Pad

✷

On a completely different note:
Studio Place Arts is holding its annual “Art It Up!” silent auction to benefit SPA programs. A variety of artwork, created and donated by local artists, is on display in person at SPA but you can see the full catalog, make bids or buy outright online as well. Bidding concludes on Friday, June 5th at 4pm.
I can’t say enough good things about what SPA adds to our community, so this is a win/win opportunity to support them.