The Joy of Avoiding Instagram
Sharing photos outside of social media made me feel good about photography again
It’s never been easier to share a photo with others than it is today. You can share photos of your vacation with friends on Facebook, perfectly frame that shot for your Instagram followers, or broadcast a moment as it happens live with your audience on Twitter. Social media has taken over how, and why, we take photos.
It has become second nature to think of the medium or the person a photo will be shared with before we even stare through the camera’s viewfinder. The phrase “do it for the gram” is a perfect example of how people do things purely for the sake of posting a photo of that moment to Instagram.
Taking a photo with the intention of sharing with others is a reflection of our species’ need to connect and socialize. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it. I have discovered, however, that increasing the diversity of where I share photos, especially when those outlets are outside of traditional social media, can make photography much more joyful.
