An instagram chat
And a plan...
I like Instagram. I’m a very visual person so an image-led social media platform is clearly going to tick my boxes, and I know I’m not the only one. With the algorithm changes, and the recent inundation of spam comments and bots, it’s lost it’s charm in terms of follower engagement. There’s been a lot of articles written about the issues lately - from how to spot spammers and users using automated likes, to the new outrage that is shadow banning.
I know we're all struggling with engagement - I don't think I've seen anyone praising the algorithm changes (at least on my timeline), and most are battling against it. Followers go up slowly and then drop in bunches, comments are harder to come by and likes are slow to arrive.
I've felt discouraged about it, and that no matter how much I try to improve my content, engage more and focus on this social platform, it doesn't seem to make a dent or a difference. BUT (don't worry, there's a but!) I love sharing photos. I love the process of drawing and setting up the flat lays, and 'showing off' what I've created. I like sharing my work, even if the audience isn't huge. I like having a portfolio and a page that just showcases my photos.
With that in mind, and as hard as it is, I'm going to try not to focus on numbers. I know that as someone who is planning on launching an online business, and as a freelancer who has to promote her work on the internet, this is probably not what is advised. The thing is though, I don't want to fall out of love completely. Sometimes, focusing on numbers (and especially if you're doing all you can to boost them) takes the fun out of creation. I'm mostly focusing on Instagram here, because for me, that's my most 'formal' social media. It's my portfolio, and as a creator who designs and illustrates, it makes sense that the most visual platform is the main draw. Twitter is more for communication and random thoughts, though I do have Instagram linked to post there too.
As well as focusing less on the numbers, I'm planning to focus on others instead. I love that feeling when I get a genuine comment (not one of those generic emoji thumbs up), or a thoughtful message. I notice the people who always like my photo, every time I post. As the engagement and general feeling about Instagram is on the negative side, I want to at least share a bit more love. I'm trying to comment on posts more, discover more artists and smaller instagrammers from the tags and the explore page, and leave meaningful comments. I want them, and the people I follow, to know I appreciate their content and find it inspirational - even if the general consensus of likes are down. I know I am only a small fish in a very large pond, but a thoughtful comment outweighs the spam bots hugely. It's not much, but I urge you to do the same.
It seems a bit counter-intuitive to round off the post with some self promotion, but if you did want to follow my creative endeavours, you can find my on Instagram right here: katie_moody
I'd love to hear your own thoughts about it all - have you fallen out of love with it? Are you posting less now the numbers are more difficult to come by?
