This was so smart and I really do agree—people WANT to share interesting articles to read on Instagram, and people WANT to read what their friends and acquaintances and parasocial crushes are recommending! But it is so profoundly annoying to go from an Instagram story (with a screenshot of an interesting article) to the article itself.
The fact that people had to put "link in bio" for years for ARTICLES (while advertisements let you click directly into a product page to buy THINGS) has really oriented Instagram to be very focused on commerce, and only secondarily a driver of culture.
(And the fact that, for years, the "swipe up to view" interaction was only available for accounts with 10,000+ followers…)
In this late stage of IG (10+ years of use) I think we have to point out the cognitive dissonance in knowing these platforms are vying for our time and attention and still returning every day. Not being able to read I feel is a part of the attention spam era that blasted off during Covid.
Ironically, I t’s clear we’re not shaping culture anymore; the algorithm is shaping us and curating our desires while also determining what gets popular and seen.
A new bombshell has entered the villa ~Now with AI generated content flooding the feed, it’s getting harder to know what’s real and what’s synthetic, which makes the whole experience feel even more disorienting. Time will tell how our rapid absorption of info will change in the latest accessible AI world
Your point about us not shaping culture anymore is such an important one! The stuff that actually breaks through there rarely feels original or actually creative and that's by design
You do acknowledge this, but Substack is just as bad, if not worse. I followed a link here from my email inbox (the normal, accessible way to receive newsletters) and yet I couldn’t read this until I’d logged in to the Substack app! It would not even let me read it in browser!
For me, the litmus test of a platform is how much is visible to people who are not logged in. How else are people supposed to figure out
Christ, and then it posted that before I was finished. How are people supposed to figure out whether they want to be part of your community if they’re forced to create pre-emptive relationships with you even to see your work?
Fair criticism. NYT is still great. We were having the same conversation about television back in the 70s and 80s. On android, you can disable the in app browser by going to the OS-level app settings for IG.
I try to visualize this when I go on the internet: We only need eight, 8-ounce servings of water for our bodies to function. We drink that water from cups, not firehoses. And the water is potable.
“Content” on every site, even msm news sites, also gets pumped out at this firehose rate, which is unsustainable for both readers and reporters/ news bureaus. So now the information landscape is deteriorating into the 700-channel, 90% schlock that cable TV became. @meganartist has a point to pick and choose and resist scrolling somehow. Might be the only way to save our sanity.
I love my Instagram feed because I only follow artists whose work makes me go 'wow!' If you hate your feed, if it makes you feel miserable, depressed and anxious then stop following accounts that make you feel miserable, depressed and anxious. Take control, don't be a victim.
Thanks for this. I appreciate your clear-eyed assessment of what this app is doing to our brains—fentanyl FR.
For the past month or so, I’ve deleted the Instagram app off my phone and checked messages and stories on browser. Maybe once a week I’ll re-download the app and share a few links (💀) and things on stories. It’s making me feel a lot saner for a couple of reasons: 1. I don’t get the insane ads on browser, and 2. the “search” and “explore” buttons are separate. The Explore page is my kryptonite when scrolling because I’ll be searching for someone/something and then 3 hours later I’ve gone through some random trad wife’s entire timeline.
It’s also helpful to not have IG with me on the go—I can only check it at home/on laptop. IDK, I’m just trying to rip back a tiny bit of my attention and I feel less insane consuming it this way.
So then why not just… not use it? Serious question. If you feel your life is great and this app is distressing and doesn’t provide a ton of value, why not just stop using it?
They’re made to be addictive, yes, and quitting them will be very hard. But social media is definitely a case where “ignorance is bliss” could not be more true.
I mostly just want our tech platforms to be better than they currently are! It's not really about me; it was healthier for all of us when the dominant platforms allowed us to share links and things we enjoyed reading.
This was so smart and I really do agree—people WANT to share interesting articles to read on Instagram, and people WANT to read what their friends and acquaintances and parasocial crushes are recommending! But it is so profoundly annoying to go from an Instagram story (with a screenshot of an interesting article) to the article itself.
The fact that people had to put "link in bio" for years for ARTICLES (while advertisements let you click directly into a product page to buy THINGS) has really oriented Instagram to be very focused on commerce, and only secondarily a driver of culture.
(And the fact that, for years, the "swipe up to view" interaction was only available for accounts with 10,000+ followers…)
Thank you ♥️
In this late stage of IG (10+ years of use) I think we have to point out the cognitive dissonance in knowing these platforms are vying for our time and attention and still returning every day. Not being able to read I feel is a part of the attention spam era that blasted off during Covid.
Ironically, I t’s clear we’re not shaping culture anymore; the algorithm is shaping us and curating our desires while also determining what gets popular and seen.
A new bombshell has entered the villa ~Now with AI generated content flooding the feed, it’s getting harder to know what’s real and what’s synthetic, which makes the whole experience feel even more disorienting. Time will tell how our rapid absorption of info will change in the latest accessible AI world
Your point about us not shaping culture anymore is such an important one! The stuff that actually breaks through there rarely feels original or actually creative and that's by design
Here for the plot 🧐
Thank you for this. Every single word.
You do acknowledge this, but Substack is just as bad, if not worse. I followed a link here from my email inbox (the normal, accessible way to receive newsletters) and yet I couldn’t read this until I’d logged in to the Substack app! It would not even let me read it in browser!
For me, the litmus test of a platform is how much is visible to people who are not logged in. How else are people supposed to figure out
Christ, and then it posted that before I was finished. How are people supposed to figure out whether they want to be part of your community if they’re forced to create pre-emptive relationships with you even to see your work?
Fair criticism. NYT is still great. We were having the same conversation about television back in the 70s and 80s. On android, you can disable the in app browser by going to the OS-level app settings for IG.
I try to visualize this when I go on the internet: We only need eight, 8-ounce servings of water for our bodies to function. We drink that water from cups, not firehoses. And the water is potable.
“Content” on every site, even msm news sites, also gets pumped out at this firehose rate, which is unsustainable for both readers and reporters/ news bureaus. So now the information landscape is deteriorating into the 700-channel, 90% schlock that cable TV became. @meganartist has a point to pick and choose and resist scrolling somehow. Might be the only way to save our sanity.
I love my Instagram feed because I only follow artists whose work makes me go 'wow!' If you hate your feed, if it makes you feel miserable, depressed and anxious then stop following accounts that make you feel miserable, depressed and anxious. Take control, don't be a victim.
really enjoyed this piece! cancel your NYT subscription! https://writersagainstthewarongaza.com/boycott-nyt
Shallow vs deep… Maybe social is a shop window, link in bio is the entrance.
Thanks for this. I appreciate your clear-eyed assessment of what this app is doing to our brains—fentanyl FR.
For the past month or so, I’ve deleted the Instagram app off my phone and checked messages and stories on browser. Maybe once a week I’ll re-download the app and share a few links (💀) and things on stories. It’s making me feel a lot saner for a couple of reasons: 1. I don’t get the insane ads on browser, and 2. the “search” and “explore” buttons are separate. The Explore page is my kryptonite when scrolling because I’ll be searching for someone/something and then 3 hours later I’ve gone through some random trad wife’s entire timeline.
It’s also helpful to not have IG with me on the go—I can only check it at home/on laptop. IDK, I’m just trying to rip back a tiny bit of my attention and I feel less insane consuming it this way.
Yes, you're right, it's a "me" problem. Sounds like you're dealing with FOMO.
I wish it were fomo but my life is pretty great
So then why not just… not use it? Serious question. If you feel your life is great and this app is distressing and doesn’t provide a ton of value, why not just stop using it?
They’re made to be addictive, yes, and quitting them will be very hard. But social media is definitely a case where “ignorance is bliss” could not be more true.
I mostly just want our tech platforms to be better than they currently are! It's not really about me; it was healthier for all of us when the dominant platforms allowed us to share links and things we enjoyed reading.
I certainly agree with that, but if that world is even possible to return to it will only be because enough people said ‘no’ to the current iteration.