It’s great to see big creators like you talking about this publicly . Every time I express the same opinion, people just kept saying “ you just need to get with reels” , but then reels force you to use “trending audios” to get your content be seen . It’s like your entire creativity is dictated by what IG wants you to be doing in order to have your content be seen. Often times I end up editing a video to some dumb audio that I don’t even like
Omg i didn’t know about “suggesting” trending audio in order to be seen! And i wonder why all the reels and videos i see on IG have SUUPER lame songs or sounds or covers that 90% of the time i mute and just watch the video. Then be bummed about how fast/context free/pointless video that was. Realize i wasted useless seconds, then close the app altogether.
You can actually come up with your own creative content and mix it in too, i do both use sounds, give tips, make funny skits, you can bring your personality to the content
There are people I've favourited and followed, and have followed for years that I haven't liked or seen a single post of theirs for months, and I only realised when i specifically went in to the favourites screen. Instagram had been showing me pages of reels I didn't care for and half my follows were hidden. What they've done to Instagram is just Massively frustrating.
Meta hasn’t even given my instragam a “favorite” feed option on my main account, while my other instragam page does. I feel like I’m still in one of their A/B test phases which annoys me even more.
It’s really sad to see where instagram ended up, it’s all about trying to follow the algorithm nowadays instead of what you and your community want to see (tbh even TH-cam), it’s exhausting to follow the algorithm.. But as you said, unfortunately gotta play the game
Exactly, instagram last a few months when the algorithms start this is make more problems for photographers and creators. I hate this I work hard and hard and I posting everyday and I get a few likes and lower followers, I want instagram back to old algorithm to be more fun. I hope this!😢
So many photographer friends who are at a loss right now. They do the reels periodically but video's not their bread and butter...so it's a major time vs. value crisis for them.
So glad it's not just me. I've been going backward on Instagram too and I started to question myself. I'm feeling relieved now and I'm comfortable knowing that I should just keep doing what I love. I just joined Vero and I'm looking forward to being part of a community again. Thanks Peter.
People that comment this really dont understand how instagram works. Maybe you should not have spend 10 years watching influencer with expensive cars, vacations etc. ruin your personal feed. All my feed is is art and it works perfeclty for inspiration, ideas etc. Ofc you gonna get depressed only watching super hot babes 24/7 knowing you will never get one.
@@TehBananaBread You are assuming. These apps are made to be addictive. You don't have to follow "super hot babes 24/7" or "spend 10 years watching influencers" to be affected mentally.
@@TehBananaBread No, I quit using Instagram 2 months ago and tried using it again using a new account to get inspiration for my work, but it started showing random reels, and the news feed which is endlessly showing all other kinds of stuff. These social media platforms are made to be as addictive as possible. So it's not possible to use it for some good work.
I'm glad someone like you Peter is talking about IG. As a new photographer who just wants to share my photos and get feedback from other people its frustrating to see nothing but reels from people that I don't even follow. Thanks Pete!
The end of Instagram happened awhile ago when Facebook purchased them and changed the Feed algorithm to display paid ads and celebrities first and your friends and family later. That was the most alluring part of Instagram, other than mainly being about photography, but also the fact that if I posted after say Kim Kardashian my post would show up in everyone’s feed in that order, then Facebook ruined it. Now my wife can post something and I may not see it in my feed until 8 hours later, but all those paid advertisements and celebrities sure are there first.
Got off IG 3 years ago! It was one of the best things I have done for my life and sanity. It is soooo much more fun to go make photos rather than scroll and post....
Dude this is one of the best vids I've seen you make in a while. It's making me really think about my art, passions, and relationship with social media. Personally, I've been feeling like IG has become more and more of a wasteland and your vid has reinforced that.
Totally agree - hate what Instagram has become with people showing some fake BS version of their perfect (not) life. Initially joined to see cool images and that vanished years ago.
Listening to you talk about the whole situation reminded me of what’s important, there will always be new platforms and changes out of our hands but it’s important to remember why we fell in love with taking photos in the first place and do that for ourselves
Hey, this video showed up on my recommendations and I wanted to say that i really love your mindset. Unlike people ranting about it like they're entitled to have everything revolve around them, you put up a really mature attitude and focus on the actual solution. Looking forward to seeing more from you!
Dude I love Flickr. I love seeing full resolution photos and being able to see the gear and settings photos were shot at. I feel like it's made me a better photographer.
Unlike Insta where you have to settle for compressed like it’s 2005, and rather than making features that make you a better photographer, it rewards fakery, or bettet yet, just make dumb reels instead.
But what I don't understand, it's that I can still see what I want in IG, and the people that really cared about my work are still commenting and liking, I actually think that I appreciate them even more. It's like at the beginning when I had less followers, less likes but I remembered all my followers by name. I've never been a viral account so I have nothing to miss, it's always been about the people who got to care about my work and the ones I admired their work too
“Art is nothing without sharing it” I feel that art created for the sole purpose of art’s inherit beauty alone is the best art; art is so personally fulfilling. Sharing art seems to be just a positive side effect.
@IOwOI It has become for (some) men what is for (some) women to share their body. At least that is how I would explain it. The short and "easy" gain of serotonin. But this number has grown out so much it is now taking people back to art that makes them think and scratches their mind. Expression of what is felt inside.
Glad you shared this vid. It seems the only way you can actually grow is if a Reel gets into the multi-millions and even then it's only 1-2K followers. So in order not to lose followers, you have to hit into the millions like once every 3-4 Reels. It's crazy
Peter is fake and not growing. he started off buying followers, subscribers, and views and has always reinvested any returns into more of the same. I would bet he has about 10k real people who follow and like his content. It is just not realistic for photographers, videographers, and filmmakers to have millions of followers and hundreds of thousands of views. That is unrealistic. Any channel with more than about 30k subscribers that is talking about a/v stuff is auto suspect. You can look up channel growth on websites that show you this channel grows by 10k blocks at a time and then ZERO subs for weeks. That is also completely unrealistic! Peter has almost 6 million subs and I am in the professional photography business (30 years) and nobody has heard of him or watches him that I know, and I know everyone on the main circuits in media. It is so sad!
It's like the requirements for users to succeed scale with how thirsty the platform is for growth. I don't know what field of modern business/anthropology/statistics that falls into but someone smarter than me must have a theory on that.
This is everything I’m experiencing🤯 thinking about leaving IG. It’s not what it use to be. Algorithm is confusing and it’s impossible to grow even with quality content.
finally, FINALLY the rant I've been making for months has been picked up by you, and given a louder voice. Thanks a lot for this. Instagram taught me a lesson the hard way, and I'm glad i finally learnt it. Forget the Numbers, Just keep doing your sh*t. And do keep loving every single moment of it. That's all that matters in this small, small life. Peace!
I think Instagram has lost its identity as THE photo sharing app. Every other platform has a unique identity but Instagram has lost sight of theirs in seeking to do well economically. I hope one day something, maybe Vero, takes their place.
what if their identity has changed? i mean, none of us are what we were 10 years ago. Facebook certainly isn't and still remains a MAJOR player in the game. In this world, it's adapt or die (e.g., MySpace, Friendster, Migente)
Absolutely going to install Vero! Had my Instagram account since 2010 and completely agree with everything you’re saying. Instagram used to feel like a small country town where everybody knows eachother and now it feels like a post apocalyptic metropolis where people are purely out for their own survival. My friends and family are gone and all I can see is brain rotting videos of people falling over or working out in a gym etc. See you on Vero Peter!
can I just say how refreshing it is for a content creator to say they want to post what makes them happy! I'm literally in that same mind set, granted there are some stuff I hopped on but for the most part, I'm doing what I truly love to do and what makes me happy.
6 months ago our IG got hacked and lost 100K's of followers. IG is not responding to any of my emails, so we started a new profile. Not only is it hard to grow back, but often times I post content because 'I have to'. Honestly I hate their platform and algorithm. It was nice to hear your thoughts and insights Pete! Creators should create and share what they want and not what they have to. I signed up immediately for Vero. Lets make this an amazing new platform! 🙂
They are the worst getting back accounts. I lost two of my accounts (one photography and one travel) because of the two factor verification and I lost the back up codes and the whole process to get them back is lame and in the end they turned round and said they can’t verify me but the accounts have photos of me on the feed? It’s bullshit.
Same thing happened to me.....I tried everything to contact them but no response. I dont see any point to build up my page again because and loose it again with no reason.
I loved posting on Instagram back in the day. And what I loved even more was seeing daily posts from my favorite photographers and finding new artists to follow. I don't even know what to say about the app now. It's a completely different game. But I created a Vero account after the last video you mentioned the app in and I really enjoy it! I'm hoping it'll grow over time so photographers have a platform to share their art with the world.
Peter ! You were always one of my mentor in photography. The fact you put that into words just made me realize something I was already thinking in my deep inside. I'll definitely join VERO
Been on Instagram since the beginning, and it is disappointing to see it becoming a TikTok clone. But I don't think a new platform is going to save photography. I've made a living with photography my entire adult life (and I'm 71). It has been a personal obsession since I was 10 years old. But I think we are just so awash with photography with the ease of creating it that digital cameras and phones have brought us that even the good stuff is simply buried in the noise. All these platforms are moving to short form video because that's what folks are interested in now. Photographs? Now so much. Yes, I long for the old Instagram, for the people posting there out of just a pure love of photography. Amazing stuff. I really miss that. But it is 2022, and I have seen a general interest in photography declining for years. I think personally of film photography. I've shot untold thousands of rolls of B&W film over the years. And loved the process. But, I've also spent thousands of hours in darkrooms processing and printing that film. And never want to do that again. As soon as professional digital cameras became available in the early 2000's, I moved to digital without looking back. I think photography in general is going the way of film photography for me twenty years ago. And I'm not sure a new app will save it. We'll see.
What do you mean by “photography can’t be saved”? Are you saying people won’t take photographs anymore? If so, what will people do instead to capture memory’s?
Film photography is making a resurgence, albeit a small one, it's still happening. People are starting to emulate film but it's not the same imo. I shoot film every day as well as digital so I see what you're saying.
„I get the feeling that there are too many bad pictures in the world. But there‘s always room for good ones because good ones illuminate, entertain, amuse, make people feel.“ - Elliott Erwitt
Finally joined Vero. All I’m gonna say is, thank you for introducing the app to me. Excited to be part of the community and the experience is so clean. Loved moving away from the mind numbing instagram reels.
It’s good to hear someone talk about this. I’m an artist. The way instagram is going doesn’t appeal to me. I used to enjoy scrolling down my feed but now I stop looking pretty quickly. I don’t want to post reels. It’s clear they’re trying to compete with tiktok, but I think it was better when they had their niche with photos and artwork as the focus.
Instagram and the people behind it, lost their focus trying to catch up with TikTok and it's pretty sad. Once a replacement shows up, I cannot wait to jump ship.
Peter, thanks so much for this video. Been sick of IG and their crap and have wanted a viable replacement. Vero looks very promising and with popular content creators like yourself backing it and spreading the word, it can definitely grow. I'm on there now as "drivenfilms"
In this 12 to 14 minutes you literally spoke my heart out brother. I am definitely gonna start Vero. I truly needed this. Thank you so much. More love and power to you.
Couldn't agree more! I used to love sharing and getting to know people through my love of photography. Instagram has become a clusterfuck of awful content and endless adverts. I'm off to explore other apps. Great video mate! 👌
I made my Vero account last year because I have been annoyed with Instagram for a while now. But since I don't have friends who are on there I didn't do much with it. Hearing you have the same stance on IG from a business standpoint as I do from a personal one makes me feel less guilty for wanting to switch platforms myself
Thank You! You put words on what many off us are thinking. The way Instagram is heading is just sad.. I have no interest getting my feed full of people I dont follow.. And If I wanted to see a lot of reels, I would have watched tiktok or something similar. They broke instagram.
I’m so grateful you made this video! I’ve been feeling this for a while. Took 2 long stints off Instagram and each time I came back it was worse. The amount of time wasted in creating a piece of Instagram content, with no control over who sees it, and to realize it’s effectively dead after 24 hrs (simply drowned out by the volume of other content)… my precious time to work and create meaningful content has to be invested somewhere it will last and live on.
Instagram has lost it bro...And it's bohtering many of us....Photography is inspired by sharing what the eye sees differently and hearing the story behing the composition we are tired of the algorithm gods messing with what used to be just joy...Thank you Peter for voicing it out.
Even as a consumer I find myself less and less on instagram. They put their focus away from photos to focus on reels… but all the reels that pop up are reaction videos or washed up Tik Tok trends from over a year ago. I rarely see content from some of my favorite photographers I follow anymore. Really haven’t had any incentive to open the app anymore.
Helo Vero, i'm from Portugal and i have a recent smartphone (Huawei p30 Pro) and it doesn't let me install the app. Can you see what is going on? Big hug for everyone! 💪
Thank you for sharing this. Like yourself I feel the same. I’ve spent so much time on Instagram building a career and audience. Loved, lived and breathed the app. Now it’s a completely different place. Wish the loyalty was rewarded but as you say. It’s out of our control. X
The thing I love about Vero, since I've been using it for the past couple of weeks, is that I spend *less* time on there, but what I view is quality stuff. Whereas on Instagram, I spend longer on the platform looking for something that interests me. As someone who would prefer to spend *less* time on social media, it's nice to know that with Vero what I'm looking at is relevant to my interests - in and out and a much better experience.
You’re such a easy guy to watch Peter. Whether it’s EDC or something manic you’re doing for your own process, or simply something your eye caught. Love the content and vibe!
Even though I’m not a photographer, IG has been winding me up since the good old days so I’m excited for Vero. This vid brought back some good memories ❤️
Hi Peter, I just wanna say thank you for content like this. I was passionate about photography several years ago, but over time, it seemed that it was Instagram itself that made me lose my interest and passion, as slowly things became more disorienting and unappealing. Like you mentioned, without a platform to develop my creative interest, that interest faded as a result. You could say that habits make the man, and mine dwindled. The interest was still there, and after watching this video, that interest revived. I remembered how enjoyable it was to express myself one moment a day through photography. And it's good to know that there's an alternative out there now, to rekindle that love all over again.
Instagram isnt the same as before. I loved to see my friend's creativity there but now all I could see sad reels, canceling cultures and many more that wasn't there before in Instagram I think. Tbh I loved your account and liked almost every pic of you but now Instagram doesnt even show me your posts just random posts from people i dont follow. Glad you made a video on this!
Lately, this is everything I've said to my wife. It's crazy to hear how so many of us feel the same way. Especially those of us who have been on the app, like you said for a decade. We've bobbed and weaved through all the hurdles, but it only seems that Instagram doesn't truly care about the content creator. They adhere curators that are only able to repost creators' content and they can do that with a post an hour. I miss the days of making connections through the app and feeling like it was a community. Instagram has made the community feel like it doesn't matter. Bots, spam, etc - seriously reminds me of the last days of Tom's Myspace.
Agreed. Behance used to feel like that over a decade ago, too, well before Adobe acquired it. Makes me wonder if there will ever be a platform with no agenda. I know Vero is the topic of the day but....if you're not growing then you're shrinking, so my jaded millennial self is wondering what the threshold will be for Vero before they do what Instagram eventually did to itself. Sell, make money, and walk away from what made it great.
It is so frustrating to seem my photos do better on reshare pages than my own page or the models page. It gets reshared until all tags are lost and an image or video no longer has any owner or trail back to the original creators.
I concur 100%! Hope instagram is hearing this! I had a second account that got blocked and I tried multiple times to contact instagram so they wouldn’t shut it down but couldn’t get through and all the years of time I put into the page just disappeared into a black hole 😒 I rarely post now anymore because yup- I lose followers and gain and lose everyday. It’s a headache! I just want to post and share my pics without all the algorithms clutter that comes with it every day 😢
I installed Vero after your last Q&A video and I really liked the app right away. The design is gorgeous, it's mighty and hopefully will remain free of ads. Some minor things don't work as well, eg. assigning locations to posts, but so far it's really good.
Well delivered Peter! Just like Facebook, Instagram is a very controlling platform. I think by now we should all know the connection with both. I've been on TikTok way more these days. I just think why should I be on Instagram when they're copying EVEYTHING TikTok does. I'd rather rock with the originators instead of the imitators.
The problem with many brands is they forget who they serve and start reacting to "opportunities" If you know who you serve and it's not you . . a brand can evolve to simply serve better. Thank you for your honesty and willingness to inspire other creatives to build significant brands. Keep up the good work.
This is happening to so many creators out there. I know a bunch of people who don't go on or post to Instagram anywhere close to how much they used to in the past! And this has steadily been happening month by month. I think that these tech companies are just growing way too big. Then they're trying to be like each other which is a joke! Because being different is what made them grow to begin with. I think they're getting too much involved with political agendas & abandoning a lot of users while they do that.
Well said! Especially the political agenda stuff. I miss the old Instagram when you would post a photo (before reels & igtv was a thing) and get so much exposure, likes & engagement. Now I post a photo, 95% of my followers don't even see them. I scroll through my feed & all I see is 90% videos/reels (from people I don't even follow) and 10% photos. It's sad that Instagram is trying to follow tiktok.
I miss Tumblr the creativity back in the early 2010s was amazing. No matter if you was a writer, a photographer, a traveler, a blogger. The whole experience was just a vibe. Still post here and there but the size cap for photos is super annoying and the platform has changed A TON
I read the other week that Tumblr has very recently changed for the better. Apparently, old-time users are returning to the platform. It seems to be on the up again!
I joined instagram in 2011 too when it was still Instagram. The simple times when it was just photos and occasional heavy filters to make it look dramatically awesome and also when I was an aspiring smartphone-only photographer (i had an iPhone 4 when I first joined). Then Facebook slowly killed it year over year when they acquired it in 2012--they got obsess with algorithm that they started implementing stuff from their very own FB platform, then copying snapchat with stories, a little bit of youtube thrown in with longer videos, and most recently with reels. I honestly don't even know what my friends post anymore and I have to literally filter my feed to the peeps I'm following only to see what's up.
I feel you Peter! Instagram became a narcissistic den IMO , specially when people unfollow 3 days after start following a profile , instead of simply silence it and give it a chance. How rude man!! It's full of fakes and scammers as well. And yeah, Reels sucks big time! There's no community sense whatsoever anymore so I'll give Vero a try, thanks for the tip! Peace!
What else do you expect since Facebook bought it? The people who use Flickr, BTW, are fed up with that platform. Sometime this year, Flickr changed the notifications system. It used to be that one got notifications for any comment on any photo. No longer. So now they have to go through photo by photo to check if there might be new comments. That's a pain for the amateur photographer who likes to interact with other photographers and that's bad enough. It's worse yet for those who are professionals and need to see those comments in an efficient manner. Viewing the photos of the staff at Flickr and they aren't particularly competent to put it mildly, leading many to say they aren't real photographers.
@@Anon54387 I agree with you... As Peter stated, i's not so much about the social network itself, but about who runs it (ou RUINS it)... The suits usually don't have a clue how to run a creativity/community oriented business.
When Instagram started it wasn’t just photographers sharing their art, it was people sharing everyday photos from their phone to share with friends and family etc. If VERO can get everyday people on their app then advertisers will follow and photographers won’t just be promoting their art to other photographers doing the same…
Great point! I’ve tried other apps but to get your art engaged with other people other than fellow photographers is where they always fall short. Other photographers tend to compete and criticise
@@lneleven1708 yea I think that’s where they might not get it right, hopefully they do because it would be great to have a place to post photos and not have to pander to what’s popular
@@granddesign yea, I was trying to say that it’s success might be attributed to masses of people sharing photos, not so much pros trying to grow followings 😊
Speaking of analog style, a new photo sharing start up app called “grainery” seems like another viable alternative. Rn it’s heavily focused towards film 🎞 photography but they plan on being digital friendly soon to be all inclusive. Something that I am looking forward to supporting.
Pete! I do have to give it to you. This is the first time I've ever sat through a promo section in a video and actually laughed 😆 Been a follower and admirer of your work for years and you never seize to amaze! 😄 It's a shame about Insta, but I got hacked a few months ago and just gave it up already as I was only seeing ads and just some randos photos...
Back in 2017-2019 I grew a photography account here in Ireland. Met a whole community of photographers, shared ideas, drew inspiration from them, got creative together. Regular Joe's were gaining decent followings and getting paid work with local businesses etc. Some people kick started creative careers from it. I feel like that would never happen in 2022. Now most of our accounts are dead and it feels like Facebook 2.0. It's not remotely about photos anymore. It's all stories and reels
I 100% agree with all your points, literally until the last few months I got obsessed with trying to hit that 1K followers (still not there) just because I wanted my account to soar so I could get business and make a living from doing what I enjoy (photography and filmmaking) but the obsession of trying to succeed isnt needed, and actually just enjoying what I do and creating something good rather than just posting has brought me my first few customers and now I can do what I always wanted to do! Basically whatever the platform, just enjoy what you love and you will find your path ✌🏻
Well one thing is Instagram. But the other is much more important but photographers don´t want to acknowledge it: we are spammed by photos. There are too many of them. They are repetitive. We have seen them all. People don´t care about it anymore. The market is overflodded. Software like Lightroom, Photoshop or even more Luminar are contributing to this more & more and it will not stop. The decrease of the photography market has started.
@@smsgvg5994 precisely. being a photographer used to be a serious job. now everyone’s one. the sooner all these instagram “photographers” realize not as many people care any more the better
What can be tricky is that amount of followers doesn't equate to clientele either. I have 2,000 on insta but I still can't get anyone to sub to my Patreon. But maybe that's a me thing 😅😵
I absolutely love that you brought this up. I was and still hold an account on Flickr. Probably started this account over 13 years ago. Back then the community of photographers was so fun. Everyone commented on each others work. Giving CC when asked. Inspiring one another then boom a few years later the platform changed and a lot of the photographers left. This was a huge bummer for me due to the fact of embracing my passion in photography while stationed in Europe. Then a few years later Instagram came around and this is the new hype... Which it was until recently the platform has changed and I hated it. Hated always trying just to be noticed or have my work seen. I long for a new platform just as you said so we can share our passion. The things we see capture with our eyes that no one else can see unless you share them. Here I go logging off and creating an account with Vero.
I was there for the Flickr community too! I miss those days of everyone being inspired by each other, meetups, genuine support… I still keep in touch with a few friends/acquaintances from back then. Maybe Flickr needs to come back in app form and take over again. 😅
Soo true dude Instagram has really fallen into the wrong hands over the years and it’s upsetting as it used to be such a good platform for photography! Just downloaded VERO and setting up and account 👍🏻 thanks for the video 👌🏻
Yeah this topic is just getting more and more mainstream & it hits deep everytime. I can completely agree that the feed I get on insta is often nothing I like and I often have to instantly skip a few posts till I get one that I watch just the first few seconds of. All you've said about insta is very resonating & I'm glad I've atleast come across an alternative. Honestly I don't care about the monetisation yet but if Vero is even 50%of what you say that'd be a happy place for me. I'll be checking Vero out very soon.
Exactly the important thing someone pointed out.... Instagram is just the real shit today ... Now I don't get to see the photos of people like you that i like ...but meaningless reels only
I don't like what instagram did recently either, I saw a creator in my area saying that it was not his problem and he didn't care but for photographers using the platform as a living portfolio for work this is not really an option. I hope Vero or any other app for that matter can fill that niche of "Sharing and building communities over photography. Glad to hear your take on the subject, love you man !
Thanks for sharing this man! The changes they’re making are so bad IMO too. I’ve heard so many saying the same thing. They even deleted the option to upload normal videos and there still isn’t a full screen option. (There was one for IGTV once)
Supposedly you can upload full screen videos as a post, then they put them with reels. That’s where all my IGTV videos went. But good luck getting it to upload a 5 or 10 minute video. I’ve been trying for two weeks and it just freezes uploading at 3/4, of course reels do as well.
It’s changed even more - now, when you try to post a photo, it becomes a reel by default. Long gone are the days of it being a photo app, that’s for sure. Sad times. 😢
@@nashwins Huh, I haven’t encountered turning photos into reels yet. I’ve seen a lot of photos and uploaded some a few days ago, but that would be new to me.
Endlessly grateful for this video. I've been experiencing, as have many artists and creators, so much of what you've detailed here. Often, lately, I've hoped for a new outlet. It seems like that outlet may have arrived. I'm all in for Vero and I hope that it continues to maintain the integrity that you've described. Thank you very, very much, Peter!
This is such a great video I appreciate you taking the time to make it. Hopefully Instagram sees this and says down and thinks about their trajectory. It feels like they care more about profits than the people but the people is what made the platform. Excited for Vero and the future.
Love this. As an illustrator I’ve seen a similar decline in engagement on IG. Hopeful that Vero could be a good next home for my community. Was on VERO back in 2018, and then returned when Reels started to take over my IG feed. It’s a slow start right now but this vid gives me hope.
Same, I was been trying so hard posting reels and trying to do everything "right". I just don't care that much about the platform anymore. As an artist being forced to use trending sounds it sucks the fun out of making stuff. Yt shorts and tiktok have been way better for me personally
I signed up for vero years ago when they first launched and thought it'd get big but not much support kept it afloat. I'm glad it's still here and I have an account. now if only my friends saw the benefit 😂
I've made a living with photography my entire adult life, IG are trying to become Tiktok and I already knew it would happen two years ago and decided to come with a proper plan. Look into mom\child growth and others BH methods and you will see it's not the end but a new beginning.
They aren't necessarily trying to become TikTok, but more likely take their potential audience away from them in India while they are still banned there, which as a business is wise imo. That ban won't last and when it's lifted, IG is trying to have that market on lock
I'm so grateful to have seen this video. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, my sentiments exactly. Will check out Vero. Been thinking of what platform to invest my time in as a photographer and not a popularity contest based on reels and other antics not related to photography. We need to be out there taking pictures more than spending time trying to figure out algorithms and such.
VERO seems like an amazing platform so far. I thoroughly enjoy how I can filter my posts to my friends based on our level of friendship. I also like the integration with Apple Music. I wonder if Apple TV will join in on it. VERO, if you’re reading this, I hope to find a better way to explore and find new creators I enjoy. Peter, thank you for sharing your frustrations and also providing a solution. Many people share this frustration but felt like their hands were tied. You free us.
I quit Instagram after years of daily grind. I've never stopped posting a single day without a technical reason since 2016. I had enough when only from what you've described in the first minute of this video is what pushed me to stop and relocate my energy elsewhere. Like TH-cam. 😋
AGREED!!! Insta excluded a whole population of artists on a GLOBAL level because it wanted to be irrationally relevant to the younger generation, but it became a copycat of tiktok and and its dying a slow death. I'm sure someone is going to fill the vacuum of what Insta has left wide open, but its still kinda sad that Insta was so willing to sacrifice, in an expendable fashion, the artists Insta built on.
My Vero is also Phil Flock. I was pretty consistent since it came out. I'm at like 2000 followers. The community there might be smaller but I agree with Peter. It's an actual strong community. If vero was more popular nobody would ever use TH-cam/Facebook/Instagram/twitter ever again. (In my humble opinion)
I found myself at a crossroads too in the past few weeks. This vlog came up in my feed and now I have some ideas. Thanks so much for everything you do-
Great video with solid insight covering history of IG and where it is. I wish they would allow you the ability to default which is prioritized (photographs vs reels) so the user has the control of what content is pushed first for them. While I enjoy seeing reels, I am not a fan of just how HEAVY weighted IG has become with reels over photos. I will always appreciate photographs first and like to see the creativity and thought invested. cheers from Texas!
I uploaded a photo on instagram last week and I got half the likes I got on my last photo (2-3) months ago! The way they changed it I think shows more of things instagram wants you to see and are viral, and less from the people you follow! You get to see them if you choose it, but it needs a lot of time to scroll down
Drop your VERO tag below. Let’s have some fun again. @petermckinnon
@danielregalado time for fun!
@lukeraistrick Been on and off the app for years now! Glad everyone is seeing it’s merit again!
@torydesign just signed up a few weeks ago and I love scrolling it!
@jpmeggiorini 😁 I am on vero since a few years but also totally forgot this app
Just checked it out. Looks awesome and just like the right place to get creative! I‘m in, let’s have some fun! @moebigraphy 😊👍🏻
It’s great to see big creators like you talking about this publicly . Every time I express the same opinion, people just kept saying “ you just need to get with reels” , but then reels force you to use “trending audios” to get your content be seen .
It’s like your entire creativity is dictated by what IG wants you to be doing in order to have your content be seen. Often times I end up editing a video to some dumb audio that I don’t even like
Reading your comment a song came up to my mind: aaas it waaaaaas as it wasssssss
yeaaaah lets do it, IG and FB are messing around way to much, it is time for a new socialmedia dedicated for user
Yes yes yes!!!!
Omg i didn’t know about “suggesting” trending audio in order to be seen! And i wonder why all the reels and videos i see on IG have SUUPER lame songs or sounds or covers that 90% of the time i mute and just watch the video. Then be bummed about how fast/context free/pointless video that was. Realize i wasted useless seconds, then close the app altogether.
You can actually come up with your own creative content and mix it in too, i do both use sounds, give tips, make funny skits, you can bring your personality to the content
There are people I've favourited and followed, and have followed for years that I haven't liked or seen a single post of theirs for months, and I only realised when i specifically went in to the favourites screen. Instagram had been showing me pages of reels I didn't care for and half my follows were hidden. What they've done to Instagram is just Massively frustrating.
Yeah same thing happens to me
Meta hasn’t even given my instragam a “favorite” feed option on my main account, while my other instragam page does. I feel like I’m still in one of their A/B test phases which annoys me even more.
Same here!
@@eclectic1234 I literally just got the options this week, finally.
same here .... i literally was thinking of this, this morning!!!
It’s really sad to see where instagram ended up, it’s all about trying to follow the algorithm nowadays instead of what you and your community want to see (tbh even TH-cam), it’s exhausting to follow the algorithm.. But as you said, unfortunately gotta play the game
The game currently is videos because there's no other app truly putting an importance on pictures.
Exactly, instagram last a few months when the algorithms start this is make more problems for photographers and creators. I hate this I work hard and hard and I posting everyday and I get a few likes and lower followers, I want instagram back to old algorithm to be more fun. I hope this!😢
FACEBOOK OWN INSTAGRAM NOW
What I really like about TH-cam is the one single tab that actually still shows you only videos of people you actually follow.
With everything comes along this issue. TH-cam TIKTOK etc. that’s life. It get competitive .
Man - watching this made me remember my early days of Instagram too. Simpler times. Wow. So wholesome.
Glad to see you haven't jumped on the reels bandwagon. As someone who is great at making videos, but still keeping it authentic and real. Respect.
Keep it real, not reel
You should check out Aidin Robbins on yt, he's an amazing video editor and shows what you do really do with reels. One of the best imo
@@ArchIVEDCinema I'll start working on the t-shirt.
So many photographer friends who are at a loss right now. They do the reels periodically but video's not their bread and butter...so it's a major time vs. value crisis for them.
So glad it's not just me. I've been going backward on Instagram too and I started to question myself. I'm feeling relieved now and I'm comfortable knowing that I should just keep doing what I love. I just joined Vero and I'm looking forward to being part of a community again. Thanks Peter.
Deleted my instagram a month ago and its felt incredible. The toll it takes on you mental health, even when you don't think it is, is awful.
People that comment this really dont understand how instagram works. Maybe you should not have spend 10 years watching influencer with expensive cars, vacations etc. ruin your personal feed. All my feed is is art and it works perfeclty for inspiration, ideas etc. Ofc you gonna get depressed only watching super hot babes 24/7 knowing you will never get one.
Same here been 3 weeks I never want to go back
👍🏼👍🏼 I will drop them like a hot brick too. InstaTok no more!!
@@TehBananaBread You are assuming. These apps are made to be addictive. You don't have to follow "super hot babes 24/7" or "spend 10 years watching influencers" to be affected mentally.
@@TehBananaBread No, I quit using Instagram 2 months ago and tried using it again using a new account to get inspiration for my work, but it started showing random reels, and the news feed which is endlessly showing all other kinds of stuff. These social media platforms are made to be as addictive as possible. So it's not possible to use it for some good work.
I'm glad someone like you Peter is talking about IG. As a new photographer who just wants to share my photos and get feedback from other people its frustrating to see nothing but reels from people that I don't even follow. Thanks Pete!
@benito_ mpangi
Hey bud, can I commend the r/photocritique subreddit to you? Lots of great feedback available there if you want to improve your pictures.
have a try of 500px - sadly it has a subscription, however like 6 years ago it was free ... world of IT bouderdashizm
Very true! @dircks
same here! twitter I'm finding is better for that, but even then it's still hard to break into that space
The end of Instagram happened awhile ago when Facebook purchased them and changed the Feed algorithm to display paid ads and celebrities first and your friends and family later. That was the most alluring part of Instagram, other than mainly being about photography, but also the fact that if I posted after say Kim Kardashian my post would show up in everyone’s feed in that order, then Facebook ruined it. Now my wife can post something and I may not see it in my feed until 8 hours later, but all those paid advertisements and celebrities sure are there first.
This so true.
Exactly, this was the beginning of the end for them
Got off IG 3 years ago! It was one of the best things I have done for my life and sanity. It is soooo much more fun to go make photos rather than scroll and post....
Dude this is one of the best vids I've seen you make in a while. It's making me really think about my art, passions, and relationship with social media. Personally, I've been feeling like IG has become more and more of a wasteland and your vid has reinforced that.
Stopped using IG. Never felt better taking photos.
Totally agree - hate what Instagram has become with people showing some fake BS version of their perfect (not) life. Initially joined to see cool images and that vanished years ago.
Listening to you talk about the whole situation reminded me of what’s important, there will always be new platforms and changes out of our hands but it’s important to remember why we fell in love with taking photos in the first place and do that for ourselves
Hey, this video showed up on my recommendations and I wanted to say that i really love your mindset. Unlike people ranting about it like they're entitled to have everything revolve around them, you put up a really mature attitude and focus on the actual solution.
Looking forward to seeing more from you!
Dude I love Flickr. I love seeing full resolution photos and being able to see the gear and settings photos were shot at. I feel like it's made me a better photographer.
Unlike Insta where you have to settle for compressed like it’s 2005, and rather than making features that make you a better photographer, it rewards fakery, or bettet yet, just make dumb reels instead.
@@Dousch For reals!
And how it's work this App?
I agree, but I can't afford a subscription to post 90% of my work.
You vocalized what I’ve been feeling for so long. Posting my work on IG now feels like tossing my work into an abyss.
Very true and painful
Absolutely true and it really isn’t fun when you make original content and what gets more likes it’s stuff you seen multiple times!
Yes indeed, sad to see Instagram implode
But what I don't understand, it's that I can still see what I want in IG, and the people that really cared about my work are still commenting and liking, I actually think that I appreciate them even more. It's like at the beginning when I had less followers, less likes but I remembered all my followers by name. I've never been a viral account so I have nothing to miss, it's always been about the people who got to care about my work and the ones I admired their work too
“Art is nothing without sharing it”
I feel that art created for the sole purpose of art’s inherit beauty alone is the best art; art is so personally fulfilling. Sharing art seems to be just a positive side effect.
So well said! Wow!
@IOwOI It has become for (some) men what is for (some) women to share their body. At least that is how I would explain it. The short and "easy" gain of serotonin. But this number has grown out so much it is now taking people back to art that makes them think and scratches their mind. Expression of what is felt inside.
Glad you shared this vid. It seems the only way you can actually grow is if a Reel gets into the multi-millions and even then it's only 1-2K followers. So in order not to lose followers, you have to hit into the millions like once every 3-4 Reels. It's crazy
I’ve been stuck at 363 for years lol
Peter is fake and not growing. he started off buying followers, subscribers, and views and has always reinvested any returns into more of the same. I would bet he has about 10k real people who follow and like his content. It is just not realistic for photographers, videographers, and filmmakers to have millions of followers and hundreds of thousands of views. That is unrealistic. Any channel with more than about 30k subscribers that is talking about a/v stuff is auto suspect. You can look up channel growth on websites that show you this channel grows by 10k blocks at a time and then ZERO subs for weeks. That is also completely unrealistic! Peter has almost 6 million subs and I am in the professional photography business (30 years) and nobody has heard of him or watches him that I know, and I know everyone on the main circuits in media. It is so sad!
@@osidenikonshooter7003 lol someone’s a little envious today aren’t they.
@@maddrummerhef can’t be envious it’s not real.
It's like the requirements for users to succeed scale with how thirsty the platform is for growth. I don't know what field of modern business/anthropology/statistics that falls into but someone smarter than me must have a theory on that.
This is everything I’m experiencing🤯 thinking about leaving IG. It’s not what it use to be. Algorithm is confusing and it’s impossible to grow even with quality content.
Pixelfed is, what Instagram used to be. Might be worth a look....
finally, FINALLY the rant I've been making for months has been picked up by you, and given a louder voice. Thanks a lot for this. Instagram taught me a lesson the hard way, and I'm glad i finally learnt it. Forget the Numbers, Just keep doing your sh*t. And do keep loving every single moment of it. That's all that matters in this small, small life. Peace!
I think Instagram has lost its identity as THE photo sharing app. Every other platform has a unique identity but Instagram has lost sight of theirs in seeking to do well economically. I hope one day something, maybe Vero, takes their place.
what if their identity has changed? i mean, none of us are what we were 10 years ago. Facebook certainly isn't and still remains a MAJOR player in the game. In this world, it's adapt or die (e.g., MySpace, Friendster, Migente)
Absolutely going to install Vero! Had my Instagram account since 2010 and completely agree with everything you’re saying. Instagram used to feel like a small country town where everybody knows eachother and now it feels like a post apocalyptic metropolis where people are purely out for their own survival. My friends and family are gone and all I can see is brain rotting videos of people falling over or working out in a gym etc. See you on Vero Peter!
This is the best description I’ve heard to describe the feeling over the past few months
Best definition of IG situation... sometimes I don't even know where I am, you don't know anyone and you don't find anything you used to look for.
Sadly the vero app sucks performance wise :( It's so laggy on my S10 that I can't use it
Ditto!!! Peter nailed it with his video. Your reply was perfect too. IG is just not about sharing creative images anymore. Sadly
uga buga people go gym so people stupid. Uga bugs society dumb.
can I just say how refreshing it is for a content creator to say they want to post what makes them happy! I'm literally in that same mind set, granted there are some stuff I hopped on but for the most part, I'm doing what I truly love to do and what makes me happy.
We need to stand as one and move all together to a new platform for photography and videography
Was that Anduins Voice ?
@crellager - Let's make it rock.
Estoy deacuerdo
This is ultimately the only thing that IG will respond to.
@@garrhetsampson Totally agree with you. I've been thinking this for years now. I miss the Flickr days
6 months ago our IG got hacked and lost 100K's of followers. IG is not responding to any of my emails, so we started a new profile. Not only is it hard to grow back, but often times I post content because 'I have to'. Honestly I hate their platform and algorithm. It was nice to hear your thoughts and insights Pete! Creators should create and share what they want and not what they have to. I signed up immediately for Vero. Lets make this an amazing new platform! 🙂
IDE SLOW
👌👌👌👌
They are the worst getting back accounts. I lost two of my accounts (one photography and one travel) because of the two factor verification and I lost the back up codes and the whole process to get them back is lame and in the end they turned round and said they can’t verify me but the accounts have photos of me on the feed? It’s bullshit.
Didn’t even know Instagram had an email service. Insta and TH-cam are the worst sites ever for that.
Same thing happened to me.....I tried everything to contact them but no response. I dont see any point to build up my page again because and loose it again with no reason.
Couldn’t agree more, the market is literally begging for a new social media content platform to replace Instagram.
Flickr is still worthy but nobody cares anymore.
To replace instagram, facebook, snapchat, and pretty much all the social medias that used to be good before they were bought out.
I think Instagram is too big to be replaced, but competition is always welcomed.
@@soundscape26 There's no such thing, everything can be replaced, it's just a matter of time and consumers
@@soundscape26 People said that about Myspace when Facebook opened to everyone.
I loved posting on Instagram back in the day. And what I loved even more was seeing daily posts from my favorite photographers and finding new artists to follow. I don't even know what to say about the app now. It's a completely different game. But I created a Vero account after the last video you mentioned the app in and I really enjoy it! I'm hoping it'll grow over time so photographers have a platform to share their art with the world.
Vero is a graveyard. I wanted it to be good but it is not.
Peter ! You were always one of my mentor in photography. The fact you put that into words just made me realize something I was already thinking in my deep inside. I'll definitely join VERO
Been on Instagram since the beginning, and it is disappointing to see it becoming a TikTok clone. But I don't think a new platform is going to save photography. I've made a living with photography my entire adult life (and I'm 71). It has been a personal obsession since I was 10 years old. But I think we are just so awash with photography with the ease of creating it that digital cameras and phones have brought us that even the good stuff is simply buried in the noise. All these platforms are moving to short form video because that's what folks are interested in now. Photographs? Now so much.
Yes, I long for the old Instagram, for the people posting there out of just a pure love of photography. Amazing stuff. I really miss that. But it is 2022, and I have seen a general interest in photography declining for years.
I think personally of film photography. I've shot untold thousands of rolls of B&W film over the years. And loved the process. But, I've also spent thousands of hours in darkrooms processing and printing that film. And never want to do that again. As soon as professional digital cameras became available in the early 2000's, I moved to digital without looking back. I think photography in general is going the way of film photography for me twenty years ago. And I'm not sure a new app will save it. We'll see.
I Appreciate your insight.
What do you mean by “photography can’t be saved”? Are you saying people won’t take photographs anymore? If so, what will people do instead to capture memory’s?
@@villa_fan8882 I think he's referring to motion/movie/(film etc taking over.
Film photography is making a resurgence, albeit a small one, it's still happening. People are starting to emulate film but it's not the same imo. I shoot film every day as well as digital so I see what you're saying.
„I get the feeling that there are too many bad pictures in the world. But there‘s always room for good ones because good ones illuminate, entertain, amuse, make people feel.“ - Elliott Erwitt
Finally joined Vero.
All I’m gonna say is, thank you for introducing the app to me.
Excited to be part of the community and the experience is so clean. Loved moving away from the mind numbing instagram reels.
Have you grown on it since this comment
You mean TikTok2?
this is literally the most enjoyable video of you for me, you should really be sharing your thoughts a lot more 🧡
I agree! I’m hardly ever on Instagram anymore. It’s just like a bunch of ads.
It’s good to hear someone talk about this. I’m an artist. The way instagram is going doesn’t appeal to me. I used to enjoy scrolling down my feed but now I stop looking pretty quickly. I don’t want to post reels. It’s clear they’re trying to compete with tiktok, but I think it was better when they had their niche with photos and artwork as the focus.
Instagram and the people behind it, lost their focus trying to catch up with TikTok and it's pretty sad. Once a replacement shows up, I cannot wait to jump ship.
Peter, thanks so much for this video. Been sick of IG and their crap and have wanted a viable replacement. Vero looks very promising and with popular content creators like yourself backing it and spreading the word, it can definitely grow. I'm on there now as "drivenfilms"
It's hard not to feel inspired at the end of videos like this. Thank you Peter, art will never die!
In this 12 to 14 minutes you literally spoke my heart out brother. I am definitely gonna start Vero. I truly needed this. Thank you so much. More love and power to you.
Couldn't agree more! I used to love sharing and getting to know people through my love of photography. Instagram has become a clusterfuck of awful content and endless adverts. I'm off to explore other apps. Great video mate! 👌
Bang on
I haven’t even watched the whole video yet and I already agree with you Pete.
At the end he suggested we all jump off of a bridge. Hmmm
I made my Vero account last year because I have been annoyed with Instagram for a while now. But since I don't have friends who are on there I didn't do much with it. Hearing you have the same stance on IG from a business standpoint as I do from a personal one makes me feel less guilty for wanting to switch platforms myself
Thank You! You put words on what many off us are thinking. The way Instagram is heading is just sad.. I have no interest getting my feed full of people I dont follow.. And If I wanted to see a lot of reels, I would have watched tiktok or something similar. They broke instagram.
I’m so grateful you made this video! I’ve been feeling this for a while. Took 2 long stints off Instagram and each time I came back it was worse. The amount of time wasted in creating a piece of Instagram content, with no control over who sees it, and to realize it’s effectively dead after 24 hrs (simply drowned out by the volume of other content)… my precious time to work and create meaningful content has to be invested somewhere it will last and live on.
Instagram has lost it bro...And it's bohtering many of us....Photography is inspired by sharing what the eye sees differently and hearing the story behing the composition we are tired of the algorithm gods messing with what used to be just joy...Thank you Peter for voicing it out.
Even as a consumer I find myself less and less on instagram. They put their focus away from photos to focus on reels… but all the reels that pop up are reaction videos or washed up Tik Tok trends from over a year ago. I rarely see content from some of my favorite photographers I follow anymore. Really haven’t had any incentive to open the app anymore.
you have to mark them as favourites by visiting their profile then you will see all of their posts.
Yeaa Reels are killing instagram
Thank you so much for flying the flag for us Peter 🙌
Helo Vero, i'm from Portugal and i have a recent smartphone (Huawei p30 Pro) and it doesn't let me install the app. Can you see what is going on? Big hug for everyone! 💪
Include the Philippines please 🙏
Hey Vero, please don't mess up like IG did 😩
Please include Vietnam too
The app is not yet available here in the Philippines. Please make it available the soonest :)
Thank you for sharing this. Like yourself I feel the same. I’ve spent so much time on Instagram building a career and audience. Loved, lived and breathed the app. Now it’s a completely different place. Wish the loyalty was rewarded but as you say. It’s out of our control. X
The thing I love about Vero, since I've been using it for the past couple of weeks, is that I spend *less* time on there, but what I view is quality stuff. Whereas on Instagram, I spend longer on the platform looking for something that interests me. As someone who would prefer to spend *less* time on social media, it's nice to know that with Vero what I'm looking at is relevant to my interests - in and out and a much better experience.
You’re such a easy guy to watch Peter. Whether it’s EDC or something manic you’re doing for your own process, or simply something your eye caught. Love the content and vibe!
Even though I’m not a photographer, IG has been winding me up since the good old days so I’m excited for Vero. This vid brought back some good memories ❤️
Hi Peter, I just wanna say thank you for content like this. I was passionate about photography several years ago, but over time, it seemed that it was Instagram itself that made me lose my interest and passion, as slowly things became more disorienting and unappealing. Like you mentioned, without a platform to develop my creative interest, that interest faded as a result. You could say that habits make the man, and mine dwindled. The interest was still there, and after watching this video, that interest revived. I remembered how enjoyable it was to express myself one moment a day through photography. And it's good to know that there's an alternative out there now, to rekindle that love all over again.
Instagram isnt the same as before. I loved to see my friend's creativity there but now all I could see sad reels, canceling cultures and many more that wasn't there before in Instagram I think. Tbh I loved your account and liked almost every pic of you but now Instagram doesnt even show me your posts just random posts from people i dont follow. Glad you made a video on this!
Lately, this is everything I've said to my wife. It's crazy to hear how so many of us feel the same way. Especially those of us who have been on the app, like you said for a decade. We've bobbed and weaved through all the hurdles, but it only seems that Instagram doesn't truly care about the content creator. They adhere curators that are only able to repost creators' content and they can do that with a post an hour. I miss the days of making connections through the app and feeling like it was a community. Instagram has made the community feel like it doesn't matter. Bots, spam, etc - seriously reminds me of the last days of Tom's Myspace.
Agreed. Behance used to feel like that over a decade ago, too, well before Adobe acquired it. Makes me wonder if there will ever be a platform with no agenda. I know Vero is the topic of the day but....if you're not growing then you're shrinking, so my jaded millennial self is wondering what the threshold will be for Vero before they do what Instagram eventually did to itself. Sell, make money, and walk away from what made it great.
Agreed! Pinterest did the same thing.
It is so frustrating to seem my photos do better on reshare pages than my own page or the models page. It gets reshared until all tags are lost and an image or video no longer has any owner or trail back to the original creators.
@@AlwaysOnLiberty Oh Pinterst is the WORST now!! never use it cuz its all ads!!!
@@milesstevens5166 Well, Vero is technically a Russian app so I don't think we really have to worry about Zuckerberg f**king with it anytime soon lol.
I concur 100%! Hope instagram is hearing this! I had a second account that got blocked and I tried multiple times to contact instagram so they wouldn’t shut it down but couldn’t get through and all the years of time I put into the page just disappeared into a black hole 😒
I rarely post now anymore because yup- I lose followers and gain and lose everyday. It’s a headache! I just want to post and share my pics without all the algorithms clutter that comes with it every day 😢
haha same, my second account also got deleted. It's a joke that they don't even have anything like a customer service.
”Couldn’t get through” that’s Instagram alright. Got a problem? Too bad. Lost years of work/memories? Forget it. Start over.
Yess same to has been happening to me lossing every single day. its holds a bit if i do reels. Its a pain, not what it was
I installed Vero after your last Q&A video and I really liked the app right away. The design is gorgeous, it's mighty and hopefully will remain free of ads. Some minor things don't work as well, eg. assigning locations to posts, but so far it's really good.
Well delivered Peter! Just like Facebook, Instagram is a very controlling platform. I think by now we should all know the connection with both. I've been on TikTok way more these days. I just think why should I be on Instagram when they're copying EVEYTHING TikTok does. I'd rather rock with the originators instead of the imitators.
Thanks for this video Peter!
Instagram needs to stop copying TikTok and go back to being Instagram.
“I think they’re trying to fit into a shape that another brand created.” You nailed it right there, Pete.
Oh, and frothing to see Vero getting chatter again. @ardorbrand
The problem with many brands is they forget who they serve and start reacting to "opportunities" If you know who you serve and it's not you . . a brand can evolve to simply serve better. Thank you for your honesty and willingness to inspire other creatives to build significant brands. Keep up the good work.
First rule of user experience design - The User Comes First.
This is happening to so many creators out there. I know a bunch of people who don't go on or post to Instagram anywhere close to how much they used to in the past! And this has steadily been happening month by month. I think that these tech companies are just growing way too big. Then they're trying to be like each other which is a joke! Because being different is what made them grow to begin with. I think they're getting too much involved with political agendas & abandoning a lot of users while they do that.
facts
Well said!
Especially the political agenda stuff.
I miss the old Instagram when you would post a photo (before reels & igtv was a thing) and get so much exposure, likes & engagement.
Now I post a photo, 95% of my followers don't even see them.
I scroll through my feed & all I see is 90% videos/reels (from people I don't even follow) and 10% photos.
It's sad that Instagram is trying to follow tiktok.
@@paiman_ You're 100% right! Its frustrating to see so many posts in my feed from people I don't even follow.
I miss Tumblr the creativity back in the early 2010s was amazing. No matter if you was a writer, a photographer, a traveler, a blogger. The whole experience was just a vibe. Still post here and there but the size cap for photos is super annoying and the platform has changed A TON
I read the other week that Tumblr has very recently changed for the better. Apparently, old-time users are returning to the platform. It seems to be on the up again!
u said it bro, just not the same anymore
Yessss!! You hit it! Thank you for this video I have been feeling the same way lately and I’m headed to Vero right now!
I joined instagram in 2011 too when it was still Instagram. The simple times when it was just photos and occasional heavy filters to make it look dramatically awesome and also when I was an aspiring smartphone-only photographer (i had an iPhone 4 when I first joined). Then Facebook slowly killed it year over year when they acquired it in 2012--they got obsess with algorithm that they started implementing stuff from their very own FB platform, then copying snapchat with stories, a little bit of youtube thrown in with longer videos, and most recently with reels. I honestly don't even know what my friends post anymore and I have to literally filter my feed to the peeps I'm following only to see what's up.
I feel you Peter! Instagram became a narcissistic den IMO , specially when people unfollow 3 days after start following a profile , instead of simply silence it and give it a chance. How rude man!! It's full of fakes and scammers as well. And yeah, Reels sucks big time!
There's no community sense whatsoever anymore so I'll give Vero a try, thanks for the tip! Peace!
What else do you expect since Facebook bought it? The people who use Flickr, BTW, are fed up with that platform. Sometime this year, Flickr changed the notifications system. It used to be that one got notifications for any comment on any photo. No longer. So now they have to go through photo by photo to check if there might be new comments. That's a pain for the amateur photographer who likes to interact with other photographers and that's bad enough. It's worse yet for those who are professionals and need to see those comments in an efficient manner. Viewing the photos of the staff at Flickr and they aren't particularly competent to put it mildly, leading many to say they aren't real photographers.
narcissistic...thats the perfect word!!
@@Anon54387 I agree with you... As Peter stated, i's not so much about the social network itself, but about who runs it (ou RUINS it)... The suits usually don't have a clue how to run a creativity/community oriented business.
When Instagram started it wasn’t just photographers sharing their art, it was people sharing everyday photos from their phone to share with friends and family etc. If VERO can get everyday people on their app then advertisers will follow and photographers won’t just be promoting their art to other photographers doing the same…
Great point! I’ve tried other apps but to get your art engaged with other people other than fellow photographers is where they always fall short. Other photographers tend to compete and criticise
Instagram was originally a photo postcard site.
@@lneleven1708 yea I think that’s where they might not get it right, hopefully they do because it would be great to have a place to post photos and not have to pander to what’s popular
@@granddesign yea, I was trying to say that it’s success might be attributed to masses of people sharing photos, not so much pros trying to grow followings 😊
That's exactly why I haven't switched to another app yet.
Top quality! Loved this rant! I’m right there with you. IG is lost. Haven’t heard of Vero. I’ll check it out.
Speaking of analog style, a new photo sharing start up app called “grainery” seems like another viable alternative. Rn it’s heavily focused towards film 🎞 photography but they plan on being digital friendly soon to be all inclusive. Something that I am looking forward to supporting.
Pete! I do have to give it to you. This is the first time I've ever sat through a promo section in a video and actually laughed 😆 Been a follower and admirer of your work for years and you never seize to amaze! 😄 It's a shame about Insta, but I got hacked a few months ago and just gave it up already as I was only seeing ads and just some randos photos...
So goo to see Pete came up to this seriously. Instagram looks like TikTok beta 🏃🏻
+1 person here!! I feel the same...it is tiktok Beta or may Zeta.?
I have been using VERO for about 2 week maybe less but I love it omg!!! It feel so fresh I can post my photo and the community is amazing
Back in 2017-2019 I grew a photography account here in Ireland. Met a whole community of photographers, shared ideas, drew inspiration from them, got creative together. Regular Joe's were gaining decent followings and getting paid work with local businesses etc. Some people kick started creative careers from it. I feel like that would never happen in 2022. Now most of our accounts are dead and it feels like Facebook 2.0. It's not remotely about photos anymore. It's all stories and reels
I’m SO glad Squarespace Pete is back 😂🤣. Love the whole cloning shtick
How is that even possible?
Peter’s got some awesome videos on cloning in photos and videos on his channel. He taught me through his videos. Go check them out!! 😀
@@neuromooseman Thats how we know we're talking to the clone of Joe, and not the original.
@@brandonlanois1734 it’s a tricky genetic sequencing technique and then cloning in a lab. Simple really.
@@neuromooseman ok, thanks
I 100% agree with all your points, literally until the last few months I got obsessed with trying to hit that 1K followers (still not there) just because I wanted my account to soar so I could get business and make a living from doing what I enjoy (photography and filmmaking) but the obsession of trying to succeed isnt needed, and actually just enjoying what I do and creating something good rather than just posting has brought me my first few customers and now I can do what I always wanted to do! Basically whatever the platform, just enjoy what you love and you will find your path ✌🏻
Well one thing is Instagram. But the other is much more important but photographers don´t want to acknowledge it: we are spammed by photos. There are too many of them. They are repetitive. We have seen them all. People don´t care about it anymore. The market is overflodded.
Software like Lightroom, Photoshop or even more Luminar are contributing to this more & more and it will not stop. The decrease of the photography market has started.
@@smsgvg5994 precisely. being a photographer used to be a serious job. now everyone’s one. the sooner all these instagram “photographers” realize not as many people care any more the better
What can be tricky is that amount of followers doesn't equate to clientele either. I have 2,000 on insta but I still can't get anyone to sub to my Patreon. But maybe that's a me thing 😅😵
@@AtlisDe well obviously. do you really expect people to support someone financially at 2k followers? lol
This is what’s killing Facebook as well. So many of my notifications are just guff. I barely check them anymore.
I absolutely love that you brought this up. I was and still hold an account on Flickr. Probably started this account over 13 years ago. Back then the community of photographers was so fun. Everyone commented on each others work. Giving CC when asked. Inspiring one another then boom a few years later the platform changed and a lot of the photographers left. This was a huge bummer for me due to the fact of embracing my passion in photography while stationed in Europe.
Then a few years later Instagram came around and this is the new hype... Which it was until recently the platform has changed and I hated it. Hated always trying just to be noticed or have my work seen.
I long for a new platform just as you said so we can share our passion. The things we see capture with our eyes that no one else can see unless you share them.
Here I go logging off and creating an account with Vero.
I was there for the Flickr community too! I miss those days of everyone being inspired by each other, meetups, genuine support… I still keep in touch with a few friends/acquaintances from back then. Maybe Flickr needs to come back in app form and take over again. 😅
@@loeybug6562 I totally agree. After watching this video I made myself an account with VERO. Let’s see how that goes. See you there?
The "new" app feels refreshing, gonna give it a try. Seems less distracting and more focused on photography. Thanks for the video!
Thank you Pete for your inspiration as usual, honestly, your video came at the right time. You are such a great guy.
Soo true dude Instagram has really fallen into the wrong hands over the years and it’s upsetting as it used to be such a good platform for photography! Just downloaded VERO and setting up and account 👍🏻 thanks for the video 👌🏻
Hey Peter it's great to see that one of the OGs of the photography field has shared this opinion in front of a loyal audience ❤️🔥
This was needed to be told , thanks for taking the lead , it needs to be heard from a bigger influencer like you 💙🤐
Couldn't connect to your number
The amount of excitement hearing the door close and knowing square space Pete is back!!!
I like the square space Pete. 9:15. Working on a video to get that same look, it's fun. So much to consider while filming.
Yeah this topic is just getting more and more mainstream & it hits deep everytime. I can completely agree that the feed I get on insta is often nothing I like and I often have to instantly skip a few posts till I get one that I watch just the first few seconds of.
All you've said about insta is very resonating & I'm glad I've atleast come across an alternative. Honestly I don't care about the monetisation yet but if Vero is even 50%of what you say that'd be a happy place for me. I'll be checking Vero out very soon.
Exactly the important thing someone pointed out.... Instagram is just the real shit today ... Now I don't get to see the photos of people like you that i like ...but meaningless reels only
I don't like what instagram did recently either, I saw a creator in my area saying that it was not his problem and he didn't care but for photographers using the platform as a living portfolio for work this is not really an option.
I hope Vero or any other app for that matter can fill that niche of "Sharing and building communities over photography.
Glad to hear your take on the subject, love you man !
Thanks for sharing this man! The changes they’re making are so bad IMO too. I’ve heard so many saying the same thing. They even deleted the option to upload normal videos and there still isn’t a full screen option. (There was one for IGTV once)
Supposedly you can upload full screen videos as a post, then they put them with reels. That’s where all my IGTV videos went. But good luck getting it to upload a 5 or 10 minute video. I’ve been trying for two weeks and it just freezes uploading at 3/4, of course reels do as well.
It’s changed even more - now, when you try to post a photo, it becomes a reel by default. Long gone are the days of it being a photo app, that’s for sure. Sad times. 😢
@@nashwins Huh, I haven’t encountered turning photos into reels yet. I’ve seen a lot of photos and uploaded some a few days ago, but that would be new to me.
Endlessly grateful for this video. I've been experiencing, as have many artists and creators, so much of what you've detailed here. Often, lately, I've hoped for a new outlet. It seems like that outlet may have arrived. I'm all in for Vero and I hope that it continues to maintain the integrity that you've described. Thank you very, very much, Peter!
This is such a great video I appreciate you taking the time to make it. Hopefully Instagram sees this and says down and thinks about their trajectory. It feels like they care more about profits than the people but the people is what made the platform. Excited for Vero and the future.
Love this. As an illustrator I’ve seen a similar decline in engagement on IG. Hopeful that Vero could be a good next home for my community. Was on VERO back in 2018, and then returned when Reels started to take over my IG feed. It’s a slow start right now but this vid gives me hope.
So true Tom!!
Same, I was been trying so hard posting reels and trying to do everything "right". I just don't care that much about the platform anymore. As an artist being forced to use trending sounds it sucks the fun out of making stuff. Yt shorts and tiktok have been way better for me personally
I signed up for vero years ago when they first launched and thought it'd get big but not much support kept it afloat. I'm glad it's still here and I have an account. now if only my friends saw the benefit 😂
tks for sharing your story and recommending vero app, It is just what I was looking for right now
I've made a living with photography my entire adult life, IG are trying to become Tiktok and I already knew it would happen two years ago and decided to come with a proper plan. Look into mom\child growth and others BH methods and you will see it's not the end but a new beginning.
They aren't necessarily trying to become TikTok, but more likely take their potential audience away from them in India while they are still banned there, which as a business is wise imo. That ban won't last and when it's lifted, IG is trying to have that market on lock
I'm so grateful to have seen this video. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, my sentiments exactly. Will check out Vero. Been thinking of what platform to invest my time in as a photographer and not a popularity contest based on reels and other antics not related to photography. We need to be out there taking pictures more than spending time trying to figure out algorithms and such.
I feel like people don't even see posts anymore. They just focus on the stories and especially reels.
VERO seems like an amazing platform so far. I thoroughly enjoy how I can filter my posts to my friends based on our level of friendship. I also like the integration with Apple Music. I wonder if Apple TV will join in on it. VERO, if you’re reading this, I hope to find a better way to explore and find new creators I enjoy. Peter, thank you for sharing your frustrations and also providing a solution. Many people share this frustration but felt like their hands were tied. You free us.
Drop ya nameee
@@copiouscat Camvenice
I quit Instagram after years of daily grind. I've never stopped posting a single day without a technical reason since 2016. I had enough when only from what you've described in the first minute of this video is what pushed me to stop and relocate my energy elsewhere. Like TH-cam. 😋
AGREED!!! Insta excluded a whole population of artists on a GLOBAL level because it wanted to be irrationally relevant to the younger generation, but it became a copycat of tiktok and and its dying a slow death. I'm sure someone is going to fill the vacuum of what Insta has left wide open, but its still kinda sad that Insta was so willing to sacrifice, in an expendable fashion, the artists Insta built on.
capitalism 101
My Vero is also Phil Flock.
I was pretty consistent since it came out.
I'm at like 2000 followers.
The community there might be smaller but I agree with Peter. It's an actual strong community.
If vero was more popular nobody would ever use TH-cam/Facebook/Instagram/twitter ever again.
(In my humble opinion)
Just added you! Sick of IG
I found myself at a crossroads too in the past few weeks. This vlog came up in my feed and now I have some ideas. Thanks so much for everything you do-
Great video with solid insight covering history of IG and where it is. I wish they would allow you the ability to default which is prioritized (photographs vs reels) so the user has the control of what content is pushed first for them. While I enjoy seeing reels, I am not a fan of just how HEAVY weighted IG has become with reels over photos. I will always appreciate photographs first and like to see the creativity and thought invested.
cheers from Texas!
I uploaded a photo on instagram last week and I got half the likes I got on my last photo (2-3) months ago! The way they changed it I think shows more of things instagram wants you to see and are viral, and less from the people you follow! You get to see them if you choose it, but it needs a lot of time to scroll down