Instagram Is Failing Artists: This Photographer Has Had Enough

Artists have a problem with Instagram, and very soon, that’s going to become a problem for Instagram. There are a growing number of artists opting out of the platform, and they have nothing to lose but the app. From The Rooftops is a career photographer who loves to share his work, but Instagram hasn’t been letting him do that. In fact, in a post titled, “My Art Is Being Extorted By Instagram,” He contends that Instagram is trying to squeeze money out of him while providing no money in return.

What Instagram Does To Small Creators

“My Instagram feed is full of photographers and models I follow complaining about how ‘Instagram took down another photo’,” writes From The Rooftops. He understands that Instagram is a company and can moderate how it likes, but he points to unfair and uneven enforcement. He gives examples of users who get away with much more explicit content just because they have larger followings.

You can also just pay to get around the problem. “While I was not able to post my three photos without suppression, Instagram was certainly fine to take my money when I paid to boost one of those posts,” he writes. “I call that extortion.”

The pressure to boost posts is already substantial. In a post on Mount Holyoke News, Gabriella Rodriguez breaks down how small or new creators have had discoverability tools—such as the popular “recent posts” feature, which users could use to find content without the algorithm’s interference—removed. “There was no apparent reason for Instagram to make this change,” writes Rodriguez, “But as a direct consequence of their actions, it is now even more difficult for small creators to reach new audiences.”

Rodriguez goes on to break down how the algorithm favors short-form video content and privileges users who already have substantial followings. This makes it even more difficult for new users, artists, or photographers like From The Rooftops to be seen.

A Cascading Algorithmic Failure

“When you have an image that is too extreme for Instagram, they notify you with an option to appeal,” writes From The Rooftops. “I lost most appeals. I don’t know if my appeal goes to humans or algorithms.”

Lack of support is a major problem, and From The Rooftops isn’t the only artist to notice. Dana Batho, a designer with a love of vintage art, has written about dismissive auto-replies from Instagram and Facebook, which are both owned by Meta. She explains that bots can auto-ban you for erroneously detected “hate speech” that doesn’t exist, “Meanwhile an account sending hundreds or thousands of identically phrased DMs… goes completely unnoticed and ‘isn’t a problem’ for their bots or security.”

Instagram Isn’t As Important As It Thinks It Is

“Could they improve this process?” From The Rooftops asks, and answers himself, “Absolutely. Will they? It costs money to improve things, even these issues that have frustrated artists for many years. I suspect Instagram feels they have us so addicted that we will do whatever they expect of us.”

Much of this “addiction” comes from a narrative that platforms like Instagram, X, and TikTok are a mandatory part of success for modern artists. Dana Batho casts doubt on this narrative. “It’s a complete lie that you ‘have to’ use Instagram or any social media for your business. So many artists and businesses don’t, or have left.”

In From The Rooftops’s case, the best part about social media is the ability to share his art, and he’s posted on X that he’s finding somewhere else to do that. Instagram needs small creators, but it’s going to start losing them, and they’re not being quiet on their way out. “For me, the actual offense is not my photographs,” writes From The Rooftops. “It is Instagram’s greed.”