Has Instagram officially entered its flop era? Let's delve into the current state of the declining social media app, and why many creatives are now looking to build their brand elsewhere.
Instagram was once the hottest social media platform in the world. Every creative could only dream of going viral on the platform, getting their name out there, and having their work discovered by millions of users.
Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has been a stepping stone for many artists, such as graphic designers like Mike Kus and Leta Sobierajski, since propelling talented creatives, social influencers, and startup brands into the mainstream.
But has Instagram’s hype finally begun to dim? As we welcome modern-day social giants like TikTok to the table, many creatives are now looking for somewhere fresh to build their brand online.
According to a recent poll from Creative Boom, over 75% of those surveyed believe that Instagram is dying for creatives in terms of reach and engagement. With this in mind, we’re delving deeper into what the future holds for what was once the most loved social media platform on the planet.
Should creatives ride out the rough patch or jump ship to a new social hub? Let’s find out
Are We At The End Of Instagram’s Timeline?
Instagram first launched in October 2010 and became an overnight sensation. After gaining over 1 million users in just three months, it quickly overtook popular platforms like Twitter and Facebook, which took more than ten months to see similar results.
Instagram was quickly overtaken by celebrities, influencers, and a mostly millennial audience.
As engagement rolled in, Instagram swiftly gained its merits as a marketing tool, kickstarting its journey to becoming one of the most profitable advertising platforms.
After introducing sponsored posting and built-in content analytics in 2013, it’s no surprise that rising creatives jumped on board and started building their brand on the snappable and snackable social app.
Take well-known graphic designer Leta Sobierajski, for example. After going freelance in 2013, Sobierajski was fresh to the Instragam scene and started sharing images of her diverse and wacky designs.
Since then, her platform on the social app has propelled her brand into the mainstream design scene. She is well known as a co-founder of the popular New York City-based creative studio Wade and Leta. With over 100K followers on Instagram, her presence on the app has opened up opportunities to work and collaborate with big names such as Gucci, Target, Tate Modern, and UNIQLO.
“What helps us put our name out there are two things,” she told David Karlins, professor of design at NYU. “One is making our work visible, such as having a proper website, showing our work, showing different projects, writing about them, and having multiple images to portray what we’ve done. The other thing is having a social media presence. I think that’s also extremely important, as well as conveying the type of work you’re passionate about.”
Sobierajski isn’t the only creative who has Instagram to thank for her success. Over the years, the platform has seen famous videographer and director KarenX reach over 500 million views on one piece of content, while YouTube content creators like Zoella have reached 9.2 million followers on the platform.
The question is, where did it all start to go wrong? While 70% of social media users still report using Instagram to post photo and video content, less than 0.2% say their content sharing is exclusive to the platform in 2024.
As creatives also opt to share similar content on rising engagement hubs like TikTok and Twitter’s reformed platform, X, Instagram has become a bit of an afterthought.
Has Instagram Become Toxic For Emerging Creatives?
It’s no secret that Instagram’s recipe for engagement has changed. With the platform’s ever-changing algorithm, Reels, and Instagram Live releases, creatives operating on Instagram are constantly trying to adapt to stay hot on new social video trends.
While Instagram promises to update only to provide users with the best possible experience, some creatives believe it has since become a toxic environment for promotion in 2024.
One of the critical issues brought into discussion by creators on the platform is the algorithmic shift towards video-first content rather than its stronghold over photos and digital art.
Creatives have turned to streaming to promote their brand and create and schedule Reels to stay in with a chance of appearing on their followers’ feeds.
“I just wish I could still use Instagram to showcase my stuff and engage with my community, rather than being constantly encouraged to try to create stuff that fits into their shift to video-first content.” claims portrait photographer Drew Forsyth.
In a desperate bid to emulate TikTok’s video-first platform, Instagram has forgotten the millions of artists, photographers, and graphic designers who once dominated the platform with paintings, prints, and digital photography.
Instead, the platform has switched its emphasis to Reels rather than static content, which once drove the most engagement.
Another reason creatives are ditching Instagram in 2024 is the loss of the platform’s chronological feed.
Instagram’s feed used to be relatively straightforward. Depending on who you followed, your feed would appear chronologically, displaying the most recent posts from your followers at the top and posts you’d already interacted with further down the feed.
However, in 2016, in an attempt to hook viewers for longer, Instagram ditched its chronological feed feature, making it harder for creatives to ensure that their work appeared on their followers’ feeds.
Instead, users are taken down a rabbit hole of ‘suggested’ viral posts and Reels that constantly appear at the top of their feed when logging on to the app. While a follower post or two may pop up, the platform is geared towards hooking users for longer rather than displaying content they are already subscribed to.
“I feel like Instagram is grasping at straws to save the platform. If they just stuck to their original mission of showing people’s followers their content – why they follow people in the first place – they would see many more satisfied users,” Designer Max Hofert told Creative Boom. “At this point, it makes no sense to invest time into a platform that doesn’t show your content to 95 percent of your audience, which you’ve poured everything into growing over the years.”
Has TikTok Taken Over?
Now that we’ve learned more about Instagram’s demise, let’s examine the rival platform driving its departure—TikTok. According to statistics from the Pew Research Center, the number of Gen Z social media users who report being on TikTok ‘almost constantly’ is over 50% higher than those who reported their time on Instagram.
TikTok has taken social media by storm since creeping into the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. It immediately caught up to its competitors and quickly became the most inhabited platform on the planet.
With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok has become more than a video-sharing app. As a global advertising and promotion hub, it has become the platform of choice for creatives looking to drive engagement in 2024.
Take graphic designer Andrey Azizov’s rise to fame on the platform as an example. Now known as the CEO of ‘FontTok,’ Azizov has over 300K followers and more than 8 million likes on his free font roundups.
With an audience hooked on TikTok content trends right at their fingertips, creatives that get their content formula just right are twice as likely to see their engagement stats boom on TikTok compared to Instagram.
Unpicking TikTok’s Tease For A Rival ‘Photo App’
Better still, TikTok knows it’s overtaking the pack on social media. As Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts scramble to stay in the race with TikTok’s video-first platform, TikTok has begun to branch out to conquer all forms of social sharing.
While Instagram pushes for a video-first reinvention of the app, which has already sparked controversy, TikTok has decided to claim even more social territory as the photo app continues to fall.
Users have recently seen this pop up on their TikTok feed: “TikTok Notes, a new app for photo posts, is coming soon. Your existing and future public TikTok photo posts will be shown on TikTok Notes.”
On TikTok Notes, users can upload stories, photos, and captions. The app will even have an explore page. Does that sound similar to a particular photo app to you? We think so.
Could this final push from TikTok finally sink Instagram as a hub for creatives? Only time will tell.
Building a Brand In 2024: What Should Creatives Do Next?
So what should creatives do next? If Instagram is no longer an option, it could be time for digital artists to build their brand away from social media.
Learning how to create a portfolio is a brilliant first step to building a brand outside social media. Portfolio websites allow you to showcase your best work in one space that can be shared seamlessly across platforms, and they are a timeless method of self-promotion.
“I recently went old-school with my self-promo and put together a real-life printed book to promote my new alternative illustrations style,” says illustrator Ben O’Brien. “I’ve been sending it out to creative directors and potential clients, and the reaction’s been great. People have enjoyed getting something tactile and timeless.”
As we watch Instagram fade further into the dark, old-school marketing methods are set to dominate the creative sector once again.
“I am still working with Instagram and my website, but I think marketing can look like many different things; for example, merchandise, things in physical forms, networking,” says fine art photographer Delilah Twersky. “Media platforms will always go in and out. Finding ways to interact with your audience will forever grow and change. That’s why genuine connection is the priority.”
Finding new and creative ways to self-promote is the key to widespread success in 2024. The creator community online continues to heat up, so budding designers and digital personalities must think outside of the box to move away from mainstream social media platforms and back into the real world, full of colorful opportunities.
