“Beyond the Lens: Navigating Photography in a Social Media World”

We are presently observing the terminal phase of social media. As is commonly experienced when something monstrous meets its end, it’s quite an unsettling scenario. However, none of this would be significant if social media did not possess the capacity to pull liberal democracy into the void.

As photographers, we all belong to a certain nation. Therefore, ideally, we should have a vested interest in enhancing our overall living conditions. I hold views on what this could entail both for our profession and our interaction with social media. Nevertheless, here I wish to emphasize social media not as the indication of a larger ailment (which it undoubtedly remains) but as a mechanism (which it once was).

This morning, I pondered that there are likely photographers who have never experienced a world without the substantial influence of social media. However, such a world did exist, and it was not too long ago. In fact, you need not delve deep into the past to encounter a time when obtaining meaningful information and/or resources about photography online proved to be challenging.

Certainly, I don’t wish to romanticize the pre-social-media online landscape. My initial introduction to the internet occurred in the early 1990s. Even back then, it was relatively simple to discover the types of content that social media have now significantly amplified: trolling, bad-faith discussions for their own sake, and so forth. As far as I can ascertain, the struggle between individuals’ best intentions and their worst has always been present online.

Additionally, as I previously pointed out, unlike the current situation, for a considerable duration it was quite arduous to easily find photography online. When I first began building this website/blog, I set out to create a resource that would simplify the search for photography considerably. Wherever photography was available online, it was scattered, making it tedious and cumbersome to locate.

At a certain point during what was then Conscientious, I deactivated comments.

There has consistently been a great deal of noise from bad-faith participants about “free speech”. I mainly disabled comments because I realized I wouldn’t be able to manage them, given the escalating influx of trolling and bot-generated spam. Unfortunately, I lacked the time to do so. I also concluded that it wasn’t the most effective use of my time. Rather than moderating comments, I preferred to dedicate my efforts to creating content.

Initially, social media appeared to be an excellent tool for photographers as it addressed one of the significant issues with blogs: it turbocharged the benefits of blogging while at least initially eliminating some of its drawbacks. Establishing a site to share and joining a community became much simpler and more convenient. Consequently, blogging quickly receded into the background.

The new tool seemed exceedingly more convenient and accessible than its predecessor. Had I not devoted so much time to my blog, I might have transitioned to social media as well. However, there was one element I found untrustworthy: you had (and have) no authority over the overall environment you inhabit.

I had witnessed this fundamental truth lead to considerable issues before, and I was unwilling to experience those problems personally. Therefore, the primary emphasis of my work has consistently been this site, even while I have engaged on a variety of different social media platforms.

It’s hard to recall or envision this now, but social media platforms once offered enjoyment. Personally, I have always found Facebook to be unsettling, so after a few brief experiments, I distanced myself from it. Twitter was highly enjoyable for a time, as was Instagram. Twitter allowed you to witness individuals sharing the most clever short texts, and Instagram provided a continuous flow of photographs (and nothing else: no advertisements, no recycled video clips).

While this was more than sufficient for its users, it wasn’t enough for those behind the scenes, the people managing the platforms. The type of capitalism we currently experience dictates that only growth is favorable. As a result, social media platforms were compelled to expand. How does one enhance something that is entertaining? Well, naturally, you make it even more entertaining!

The only flaw in this notion is that the individuals who developed the platforms were (and still are) intellectually and morally ill-equipped for this undertaking. They adopted the simplest premise they could conceive — let’s provide individuals with more of what we believe they desire, and they proceeded with it: thus emerged what we now refer to as “the algorithm”.

“Engagement” was amplified, which merely meant that trolls and bad-faith players were granted an upper hand. It didn’t matter what or how individuals engaged. If you were a quiet, reflective voice: tough luck! Social media sites morphed into the modern equivalent of ancient Rome’s Circus Maximus. Unscrupulous bad-faith actors (Vladimir Putin and others) eagerly intervened, recognizing that they could significantly damage the liberal democracies they loathe.

Labeling people’s choices as “the algorithm” was a clever decision. It gives the impression that an independent sentient entity is behind the events unfolding, rather than the cold, hard choices made by a group of predominantly white males with incredibly narrow perspectives.

But do keep this in consideration (especially now that the deceitful allure of “AI” has emerged): the algorithm holds no significance. It’s a collection of rules that a computer adheres to. What truly matters are the rules themselves, and in particular, the individuals who establish them.

Ensuring that individuals had “more fun” resulted in, for instance, Instagram transforming from what was a user-friendly and enjoyable photo-sharing platform into whatever it has become today. I struggle to characterize it other than perhaps as an advertising platform consisting of previously incompatible components pillaged from other platform’s concepts.

It’s not merely that Instagram is inundated with elements most photographers did not willingly subscribe to. It’s that what is visible and what is deemed inappropriate is dictated by those individuals in Silicon Valley.

Moreover, there has been yet another transformation. Dressed in a watch priced at $895,500, Mark Zuckerberg, the individual who began with a site to evaluate women’s appearances (to subsequently facilitate genocide at least one time) announced yet another change to the guidelines. In anticipation of the 2024 US election results, Zuckerberg stated he would adopt Elon Musk’s example.

Musk, an extreme-right provocateur who happens to be the wealthiest individual globally, had previously acquired Twitter and rapidly morphed it into the equivalent of a neo-Nazi bar (the platform is now identified as “X”, likely because using a swastika would have been too overt).

As I’ve mentioned, bad faith and trolling have perpetually existed on the internet. However, these man-children have made it one of the primary forces behind their business models (“engagement”). Their wager is that people will not abandon their platforms since they have become essential.

Of course, no one is actually compelled to utilize any of these platforms. Much like many others, I exited Twitter shortlyafter Musk’s acquisition. I’m presently contemplating what to do with Instagram.

So what do you do with Instagram? From my perspective, the platform has long forfeited its purpose as a photography sharing site. It has become exceedingly uncommon for me to stumble upon anything novel or captivating there, despite dedicating far too much time scrolling through (I primarily seek content related to learning Japanese, and I’ll readily confess that I adore watching animal clips).

Nonetheless, Instagram is the sole option available. Or more accurately, it seems as though it is. The truth is that while there exist numerous photo-sharing applications, only Instagram carries a legacy community. In nearly all discussions I have either participated in or observed, this aspect has arisen in some capacity: “XXX looks fantastic, but there’s not much activity there.” (Replace “XXX” with any photography app you can think of.)

In simple terms, searching for an alternative to Instagram while anticipating it functions at the same capacity as that site is simply impractical. That’s not how things operate. However, you can develop things quite rapidly. Just witness how swiftly Bluesky has supplanted Twitter for many users.

It may ultimately come down to what G. Willow Wilson remarked there the other day: “I genuinely believe we are witnessing the end of the internet as those of us born in the 20th century comprehend it. Smaller, enclosed communities such as discord servers and newsletters will endure, but the concept of the global public square is no longer alive, as is ‘the information superhighway.’ Venture capitalists extinguished it.”

Distinct from the era when social media began, I believe this presents an opportunity for photographers today. Establishing a new community on a different platform will require time and effort. In fact, I’m uncertain that concentrating solely on one app is the best course of action: perhaps app XXX is more suited for sharing work, while app YYY might be preferable for individuals wanting to engage in discussions?

The potential created by the painful decline of Instagram for photographers is the following: the development of something new can now occur with the awareness of all the missteps made by Instagram.

You can observe precisely that procedure unfolding for the alternatives to Twitter. It’s not an uncomplicated process, but as far as I can ascertain, individuals are significantly more conscious of what they desire and require — and what they don’t wish for or need.

Thus, I assert that photographers’ interests in photo-sharing applications ought to exceed merely having something that (unlike Instagram) serves them well. Instead, photographers ought to allocate some time to reflect on what exactly they require. Those photo-sharing applications are instruments. You choose the tool based on what you intend to use it for.

Moreover, also consider all the photographers who were not active on Instagram due to the relentless censorship present there. They are predominantly women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQI community. If you feel disheartened about losing what you created, simply try to imagine being in their shoes: they have always been in that situation. Being able to establish something new that encompasses what the immature individuals excluded is a tremendous opportunity for all of us.

I’m unsure about you, but being on Instagram and witnessing it morph into a monster that’s harmful to everyone’s mental well-being has been unbearable. At the same time, the demise of Instagram ought not to be perceived as the demise of the core concept. Trust me, I don’t believe we want to revert to the world that existed two decades ago, where it was significantly more challenging to connect with other photographers and their work.

And without community, we will struggle to confront the numerous challenges we face today. Without community and togetherness, we will be passive observers to the ruin of liberal democracies by individuals like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

Even if you feel that you need a refuge from all that chaos, becoming part of a community indirectly contributes to the greater good that is now being exploited by the oligarchs.

The assurance of the social internet has been betrayed; however, it has not vanished. The promise of an internet crafted specifically for photography has been warped; yet it has not vanished either.

The demise of Instagram is not the end of online photo sharing. It’s merely the conclusion of a particular, heavily distorted version.

It is our individual responsibility to make the best use of what still exists and to create something meaningful from it. On the internet, this situation has occurred before, and it can happen once more.

(I will share some more detailed ideas based on some of my past experiences and how they will influence my future direction on my Patreon.)