Is Instagram Dead?

Way back when in 2012, when Facebook was being overrun by people with paid off mortgages, Instagram was the place to be. It was a free for all of long hashtags, fake candids, and blatant cyber flirting. No stories, no meme pages, no ads. Just people you actually knew trying to convince the world they were good looking, kind hearted, or interesting. 

Yesterday I found myself scrolling on Instagram with my brain on airplane mode when something struck me. I’d been scrolling for like three minutes and hadn’t seen a single post of anyone I actually knew. I follow 701 people, where the hell is everyone?

What I was subject to was absurd. Multiple meme pages that post identical jokes minutes apart from each other. Sports profiles that treat it like Twitter with the amount of quotes they post as pictures. Seriously, Bleacher Report should be in jail for how much they spam. And I shit you not, a sponsored advertisement of a product I don’t follow a minimum every four posts. Honestly try it. You won’t get past four real posts without an ad. How many fucking NFTs do you need Zuckerberg?

I haven’t posted a picture since July 30th, 2019. I’m aware Instagram isn’t holding it’s breath for my next post, or living or dying on my participation. But I feel like no one posts anymore unless they have a brand they need to maintain. 

Where are all the real people? Is that why Instagram shoves memes, highlights, and “posts you might like” down your throat? To distract you from the fact that out of the actual 1,000 people you follow, only 12 of them have posted something in the last three weeks? If Instagram isn’t deceased, it’s certainly on life support. 

Instagram has essentially become Facebook in that it’s initial purpose has become so diluted that you only go back to it out of habit. But you don’t stay long. I had a purge yesterday in unfollowing meme pages, sports profiles (hello? Twitter?), and celebrities. I kept a handful of the essentials of course, but otherwise I’m back to basics. I must say it’s made my mindless scrolling much more enjoyable, even if I’m still up to my neck in ads.