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The Instagram of yesteryear, or 2009, is long gone and many of us IG OG's, are finding ourselves, not only bored, but nostalgic about how much the platform has transformed in recent years. Once home to the rawest forms of photographic expression, Instagram has served as our updated Facebook, a digital photo album backed up on a server somewhere, and available for our grandchildren to enjoy in extreme embarrassment in 30 years. But the app is no longer our favorite pictures' resting place. It is now, a vague impression of pandemic breakout star, TikTok, in a shit storm of perfect curation IG is known for, with a nonstop distribution frequency that has us craving authenticity.Â
Frankly, the shift is...tiring. Many of us miss having a platform we could just drop our pics and they not suffer a threat of falling to death in AlgorithmWorld, because they're not backed by a trending sound or feature a shitty attempt at the latest arm-driven dance routine. No, we want the days where follower counts only kinda mattered and the only way to get likes was to use the correct Drake lyric as your caption. It was the perfect mixture of reality + slightly giving a F. What a time.
With a recent announcement from the IG CEO warning us of a transition to a video-focused platform, it seems that these OG days may be a distant memory. As of today, certain accounts are already seeing changes to their interfaces, as they attempt to navigate the app. Others are seeking refuge in Facebook and TikTok, both platforms that allow users to be refreshingly authentic in the wake of perfectly curated aesthetics and a barrage of nude hues everywhere we turn.Â
As social media platforms continue to transition into marketing tools for businesses, large and small, it is likely that we will continue to see a decline in truly recreational posting. However, this IS an exciting time for small business owners to find their audience and grow their reach using social media platforms!Â
For now, we mourn the days when Instagram served merely as our favorite photo & memory sharing platform.Â
2 comments
I literally just told my brother i was kinda over this new Instagram. I followed so many accounts because they were raw and relatable. Now they’ve monetized their platform (rightfully so) and all I see is perfectly curated influencers. It’s hella cringe.
First of all, I miss the 2011 IG icon! The new icon is trash lol. But, I was JUST thinking about this yesterday, and I caught that video-focused tid-bit he mentioned, as well. Not excited about that as a user, but I am excited about growing as a small business owner! Great post!