Let's really be honest here, Facebook and Instagram have changed the rules enough times now that it's driven most of the fun out of the social media platforms and it's long been time for a change. Instagram used to be great for photographers but has since become an almost pointless endeavor for anyone that doesn't already have 100,000 followers or more.
We could probably speculate for hours as to the reasons behind many of the changes that the Facebook overlords have made to both platforms, but the reality is that neither Facebook or Instagram is a very business-friendly (or photographer-friendly) environment anymore. At the start, business profiles on Instagram seemed like a great idea and came with lots of supposedly neat tools and analytics for businesses. But now the algorithms seem to be skewed against those working hard to cultivate a solid, reactive audience. This topic seems to come up often enough, both in social media circles, here on Fstoppers, and even us as Fstoppers Staff have been discussing the merits of using Instagram anymore because it feels like engagement across the board is dropping off for most people that aren't willing to fork over massive amounts of money to Facebook.
A sample screenshot of how images are viewed within the app. Images are displayed full screen, with the option of tapping to pull up image and author information as well as any comments on the image.
Realistically, Instagram has every right to engineer their app however they want, but it's impossible to deny that the user experience just isn't what it used to be. The number of sponsored posts is rocketing up and the number of engagements from actual fans is dropping dramatically as users are pushed to sponsor more and more of their own posts just so people will see them. The frustration that many users feel towards Instagram is precisely the reason why Dayflash came into being. They have built a social media experience that encourages users to share and engage freely without worrying about having to convert profiles to 'business' profiles or sponsor their own posts.
In a nutshell, Dayflash is a place where shared photos and videos take the spotlight, literally, since each post is designed to be seen full screen. It's not about promotion or paid engagement as neither followers or post engagements can be bought. The only way images make their way into public popularity is simply by producing and sharing high quality and visually engaging imagery. Dayflash sent me an invitation to join back when they were first launching and I've been a user ever since. Gaining a following is done through hard work and consistency, the way it used to work on Instagram back when Instagram was fun.
At this point in my career and social media presence, I can honestly say that I spend more time on Dayflash than I do on Instagram. I am tired of trying to cultivate an audience within the Facebook realm and I really appreciate the simplicity of the user experience on Dayflash. At some point, I will probably drop my Instagram altogether as interaction with Dayflash picks up. Right now, the app is only available on the Apple App Store, but according to the company an Android version is in process to be released in the future. If you have grown tired of the games and ever changing rules of Instagram, it might be worth your time to try another option that is growing in popularity with each day. You can learn more about the app from the Dayflash website and can download it onto Apple devices through the App Store.
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