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JessieNebulous
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I follow maybe 50 people, mostly other artists I don't know personally. I don't log on very often though. I have... complicated feelings about social media in general, and particularly for art, I see it as a double-edged sword. Instagram art feels more competitive than collaborative, and while it can be very inspiring to see all this artwork, it can also cause one to start comparing their own work to others. Which can be the death of creativity. Still, it can be a very effective tool in growing an audience, which is why I make art tiktoks. I don't post to Instagram anymore though. The discoverability just isn't good.
Artyczar
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Well, it might now be something a lot of artists haven't heard of, but I've been on ello for years and it is a collaborative platform (I hope it never goes away!). I mistakenly take it for granted and do not post on it as often as I should. I forget about it, which I shouldn't. It's owned by a few artists that live in Colorado. It's a great place and a really cool interface, much different from all the others. I think I will post on mine today as a matter of fact and get back into it.
I am liking Instagram less and less, and if it's going the way of video, I will like it even less. I hate seeing myself on video. I would have to come up with a different sort of creative content and not show myself.
I am liking Instagram less and less, and if it's going the way of video, I will like it even less. I hate seeing myself on video. I would have to come up with a different sort of creative content and not show myself.
laf.art
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Thanks Ayin, I hadn't heard of ello, I'll check it out. I'm with you on the Insta vid thing, I really don't like the fact that if you don't post vids your page is much less likely to be seen. I've also watched a couple of artists that I follow ramp up the vid thing and some of it looks a bit forced, as if they have a quota to meet.
AES
hi
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I was on Instagram, mostly for nail art, but I hate how you can only edit on your phone. Later I started on Tumblr but hate how hard it is to organize your original content. You can't even search for your own stuff. I took one look at Facebook's overcrowded mess of a "wall" and noped right outta there. Reddit has the opposite problem as instagram: very annoying to interact with on mobile. And now wet canvas is dead.
I follow loads of interesting stuff on those sites, but only really post here anymore. This site is excellent on both mobile and pc btw
Instagram wants to be all video now? That's stupid. Why can't these guys just stick with their niche and improve on it, instead of trying and failing to copycat each other into mediocrity?
I follow loads of interesting stuff on those sites, but only really post here anymore. This site is excellent on both mobile and pc btw
Instagram wants to be all video now? That's stupid. Why can't these guys just stick with their niche and improve on it, instead of trying and failing to copycat each other into mediocrity?
E.J.H.
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I agree. I was considering opening an Instagram account, but decided against for exactly this reason. I also suspect this to be a very stupid move on their behalf.
Now the next interesting question, is there an alternative, a simple fotosharing app, that could take upp the niche that instagram decided to leave?
wirfi
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I started to look more into Pinterest, but then life got in the way with other stuff for a while.
Artyczar
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There is a secret way to do Insta on your computer instead of your phone, which is mostly how I use it. I use a PC, so I have no idea how to do this on a Mac. I keep a separate browser window open to do this:
Log into Instagram and right click on any page there. Choose "inspect" in the little box that pops up. A right-side slider window will open where you can choose to emulate a different device, like a phone. It's on the top where it says "elements." Once you make the left-side screen emulate a cell phone, reload the page and the little "+" sign will appear at the bottom of the Instagram page. Now you can upload pictures to your profile from your PC.
You must keep the inspect window there if you want to keep uploading pictures, and you can still navigate Instagram like you do on your phone. Or you can close the inspect window if you don't like seeing it and just do the whole thing over again when you want to post more pictures, but you need to do all this to get the + to appear. You need that to add content.
laf.art
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Ha well as I seem to have been locked out of insta I'm thinking about leaving it that way - at least for a while,I shall miss the puppies tho
Artyczar
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I'm still digging ello.
rodhlann
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I get onto Insta about once a year to participate in Inktober, and post all of my drawings there, but the rest of the year I avoid social media entirely. I find it incredibly addicting and instead of motivating me to draw I just get sucked in and end up spending all my time on the site.
My overall opinion of Instagram is that it's a place to go if you have a specific and consistent art style and are trying to advertise and distribute your works. It's not a good place for hobbyists or people just getting in to art. There's just too much noise and their algorithm isn't kind to people with low follower counts. It's almost impossible to discover "new" or lesser known artists on the platform.
I also feel like Instagram causes people to strive to fit a certain mold with their art, instead of expressing themselves and improving in their own style. But that's really just speculation on my part.
My experience on Instagram is actually what caused me to seek out other art platforms, like CreativeSpark. I wanted a place that had more community and could actually get some valuable feedback on my work to continue improving. This is a vast improvement.
I've also heard people recommend DeviantArt, though I think that community is slowly dispersing. And Reddit I've heard is also an excellent place to get feedback. Reddit also has the core fault of being far too addicting and distracting for me as an individual, so I tend to avoid it as well.
My overall opinion of Instagram is that it's a place to go if you have a specific and consistent art style and are trying to advertise and distribute your works. It's not a good place for hobbyists or people just getting in to art. There's just too much noise and their algorithm isn't kind to people with low follower counts. It's almost impossible to discover "new" or lesser known artists on the platform.
I also feel like Instagram causes people to strive to fit a certain mold with their art, instead of expressing themselves and improving in their own style. But that's really just speculation on my part.
My experience on Instagram is actually what caused me to seek out other art platforms, like CreativeSpark. I wanted a place that had more community and could actually get some valuable feedback on my work to continue improving. This is a vast improvement.
I've also heard people recommend DeviantArt, though I think that community is slowly dispersing. And Reddit I've heard is also an excellent place to get feedback. Reddit also has the core fault of being far too addicting and distracting for me as an individual, so I tend to avoid it as well.
Artyczar
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Reddit scares me for some reason. I feel like it's a free for all and anyone can just be a troll there. I have not seen real Art discussions there, just "look at my art. sorta thing" I like talking about art, and not necessarily talking about our own personal own work, or the work in the group, just art and artists and out lives in general. Instagram, to me, is just a PR outlet to let people know you are still "out there" producing work and didn't fade away into the ether. That's about how I see it for the most part. I try to follow certain curators and galleries, but they could all care less because a million other artists are following them too. 
I try to like my other friends as much as I can, but I won't spend more than 20 minutes on it, unless I'm waiting in a doctor's office of something. I try to post one image a day, sometime in the early morning before 8am.
I post about once a week on my blog and sometimes give it a mention on my insta post, and I post on ello once every 2 weeks. I want to post on there more often because I get more action. I get a lot of reposts in good arty groups there.
I try to like my other friends as much as I can, but I won't spend more than 20 minutes on it, unless I'm waiting in a doctor's office of something. I try to post one image a day, sometime in the early morning before 8am. I post about once a week on my blog and sometimes give it a mention on my insta post, and I post on ello once every 2 weeks. I want to post on there more often because I get more action. I get a lot of reposts in good arty groups there.
AES
hi
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I wonder why social media sites are such a different experience than forums like this? Many of the features are the same, and even ones like wet canvas, that were owned by corporate entities were still the go to place for real interaction and feedback. Same goes for different fields too. Best way to find an answer to some random tech problem is to Google "forum xyz problem".
I thought forums were a type of social media, but there's clearly something different about how people are inclined to use it. Why?
I thought forums were a type of social media, but there's clearly something different about how people are inclined to use it. Why?
The problem I have with Instagram is that it amplifies and accelerates the homogenization we see all over our society. Certain styles, subjects, even color palettes get upvoted more than others; since the whole reason for being on IG is to get noticed, there is tremendous pressure for artists to change (either consciously or unconsciously) their work to get the attention they’re there for, and the process continues.
Jaron Lanier was right; social media exists and grows by modifying the beliefs and/or actions of its users.
(Disclaimer: I have no social media accounts, though I did at one time.)
Jaron Lanier was right; social media exists and grows by modifying the beliefs and/or actions of its users.
(Disclaimer: I have no social media accounts, though I did at one time.)
Unlike a forum, where you see things you want to see, in simple chronological order, what you see — and can interact with — on social media is dependent on someone or something other than your own desires. If someone connected to someone you're connected with “likes” something from someone none of you have even heard of, and it fits the parameters of the algorithm which runs the system, you’ll see it whether you want to or not.I wonder why social media sites are such a different experience than forums like this? Many of the features are the same, and even ones like wet canvas, that were owned by corporate entities were still the go to place for real interaction and feedback. Same goes for different fields too. Best way to find an answer to some random tech problem is to Google "forum xyz problem".
I thought forums were a type of social media, but there's clearly something different about how people are inclined to use it. Why?
This leads to the most superficial of interactions, which allows for vitriol and conflict to thrive.
rodhlann
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This is exactly what I've been trying to put into words over the last 6 months. Very well said
It probably should; Reddit is a throwback to the early days of the internet (Usenet, specifically), where discussions were wide-ranging and controlled only by the self-limitations of dedicated users. The only real difference is the constant advertising (Usenet was completely non-commercial.)
In some ways Reddit is nostalgic, but in many other ways it's annoying as can be!
