The constrictive algorithms, toxicity, and competitive atmosphere of some social media platforms can be a drain on your creativity as a photographer. By contrast, the platforms that foster a sense of community and support can be great portals for photographers to connect and share their work.
As an artist or creative in any field, you never really reach a moment where you feel like you’ve completely arrived—that there’s nothing left for you to learn or improve upon. This is, in my mind, one of the most wonderful aspects of pursuing any kind of art. It’s a limitless and lifelong education in which there never comes a time when there isn’t something new to learn or some opportunity for growth. This can be a double-edged sword, however, if it takes you down the rabbit hole of comparing your own work with that of other artists, and falling into the trap of feeling that your creative output seems subpar or naive by comparison.
Social media platforms fueled by the dopamine rush of followers and likes can sometimes be the worst places to experience this kind of existential crisis about your creativity. In the mad rush for attention, the accumulation of these social media accolades is positively encouraged. Instead of fostering a sense of community and connection, the algorithms that decide what gets seen and what gets buried in the noise can often end up creating a kind of clickbait popularity contest in which the content of the loudest and most sensational creators is served to the audience with the shortest attention span.
This all makes sense, of course, when you consider that the mighty algorithm is merely a vassal in the service of an even higher authority—the mighty dollar. Drawing eyeballs generates clicks, and clicks generate revenue for the platform, but this in itself is not enough. You need those eyeballs to be always hungry for more, so the best kind of content for monetization should ideally be more like a visual snack than a feast.
I don’t mean to sound totally down on social media platforms here, but it’s important to understand that if you’re a photographer or any other kind of creative who is producing thoughtful, considered work that merits more than just a passing glance to be fully appreciated, then most social media platforms are likely going to frustrate you—or even lead you to doubt yourself creatively.
Losing out in the online race for followers and likes might feel like some kind of harsh judgement on the merit of your work, but it’s really not - and this is where Laura’s experience navigating these social media platforms can guide us.
Laura is a photographer who hails originally from Spain, and I have been a fan and subscriber of her YouTube channel for some time now. I always appreciate Laura’s advice on the art and business of photography since she is somebody who recognizes the value of learning by doing, and her advice carries that authenticity of knowledge that has been derived from experience.
In her most recent video, she describes her own frustration with some of the social media platforms that she has used to try and reach a wider audience with her photography. Most importantly, perhaps, she highlights some of the negative effects that these social media platforms can have on a photographer’s morale and creative drive. But this thoughtful video is not an admonition for photographers to abandon some social media platforms in favor of others. Rather, it offers guidance about approaching those platforms with more realistic expectations, while offering up a list of alternatives for photographers looking for a more meaningful online experience when it comes to sharing their work.
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