Instagram … should you take it or should you leave it? I’m sure you’ve wrestled with this dilemma a time or two recently. What with confusions over “the algorithm”, the evolving emphasis on reels vs static images, and the proliferation of scams, who hasn’t contemplated just throwing in the towel and ditching the platform altogether?
Remember the simpler, seemingly innocent days of early Instagram? Your scroll was in chronological order and included all of the accounts you followed. There were no ads and accounts reported to be scams/fakes/ impersonations were actually investigated and speedily shut down if determined to indeed be fraudulent accounts. Pick a photo and write a caption, easy peasy.
It wasn’t until after my blog had gone live back in the Summer of 2015 that it occurred to me that an IG account might be a good marketing tool. I knew very little about social media back then except for Facebook so this was a big step for me. Heck, I didn’t even use a hashtag until my 8th post about three months later. I remember being so thrilled when I was finally getting double-digit like counts on my posts.
As for the changes to IG that have occurred in the years since there is only one that I’ve truly liked. It was when IG started showing your account at the top of the list of followers for the accounts that you follow. Call me crazy but every now and then I will check through the accounts that I follow to see if they follow me back. Tell me that I’m not the only one who does this ๐ณ. Before the change, you had to use the search bar so I was really pleased to see this interface improvement.
Last month, if you recall, I introduced a new post format which you can read about in Tell Me About Yourself. TL;DR? In a nutshell, I’ll be seeking out my readers’ opinions once a month via a short survey. It’ll be a different topic each month and I will incorporate the results in a post on a related subject in the following month. Later this week I’ll be sharing the results of last month’s survey.
As I said in my kick-off post, the sole purpose of these surveys is to satisfy my personal interest. The responses are provided anonymously and I won’t be sharing/selling them to anyone else. I have no intentions of developing any type of marketing tool or online course or selling you anything based on your answers. I’m a right-brained stats-nerd kind of person and I thought it would be cool to be able to include my own researched information in some of the blog posts that I write. You don’t know how thrilled I was each time the count increased as I monitored last month’s submissions. I do hope that you’ll take a few minutes and complete this month’s survey.
Dress, Target circa Spr’21; Kimono, Lucky Brand circa Sum’22; Sandals, Franco Sarto circa Spr’21 (all seen in previous posts)
Let’s Wrap This Up
Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link-up. My featured participant from last week’s link-up is Laura, who shares about she strives to make the most out of her budget, closet, and life in general on her blog I Do DeClaire.
So what say you … is Instagram worth the headaches? Are you finding yourself spending more or less time on the platform than before the push for reels? To paraphrase The Clash, should we stay or should we go?
Stay well and letโs keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin โฆ all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.
Photo credit: MMPerez
19 Comments
The discussion about Instagram has become one of the hottest topics lately. I am not a big fan of reels but scrolling through the feed and seeing that everyone is doing it now make me feel that I should be doing it too, kind of like peer pressure. Like the boho vibe of your outfit Rena, yellow shoes look great and add the pop of colour. Anna
https://lookingfabulousat50.blogspot.com/
Ugh, IG – I am ready to leave the platform all together. I make reels but only because I feel the pressure. I am so frustrated by the platform that honestly, if I did not have some commitments, I’d say peace out and stick with Tik Tok!
Thanks Rena!
xo,
Kellyann
Great post, my friend, and even better outfit! I am seriously swooning over this double tie dye look. You are a boho goddess! As for IG, I hate it and only use it (the old school way) because I feel like I have to. Itโs an actual real mental battle to get myself to go type words on that platform.
Shelbee
Great post topic! I would walk away from Instagram in a second if I could but that’s where all of my brand collaborations are so I have to play the game. It really affects my mental health some days. Love your tie dye kimono and print mixing!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Can’t wait to see the results of this poll! Instagram is a thorn in my side that I’m considering taking a break from. Love this breezy chic look Rena!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
I really like the tie dye dress and kimono together! I definitely started using Instagram less when the chronological feed went away – and I don’t use it much now at all. I follow a lot of local mums and bloggers for outfit ideas and inspiration and honestly the 2 and 4 day old posts are just annoying – I want to see posts from today, and Instagram rarely shows me that. I just post and run most of the time, everyone I speak to seems to be using it less.
Thanks for the link up. Hope you are having a great day ๐
I’m getting a bit fed up with Insta to be honest. I’m not posting anywhere near as much as I used to, and most of my followers are blokes trying to scam people anyway so is there really much point? I still go on to check out all my faves though, and I won’t quit because it is quite useful, but I much prefer it in the earlier days! These days I much prefer TikTok. It’s way more fun!
Hugs
Suzy xx
I have an Instagram account that I NEVER use. I probably should use it to promote my blog, but I just can’t get interested in Instagram. You look great in the black & white dress with the long kimono. Nice outfit! Thanks for hosting the link-up.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
I feel like Instagram takes a lot of our time and while I try to make reels and such, I do not feel like spending lots of time making them because it is a 200 views or 4000 views thing: never know which will be successful. And getting followers is ridiculous as I delete most of the ones I get which are bots or dudes. I think it makes us feel like failure quite often.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Ha! Great minds think alike. My last post: โWhy I Made My Instagram Private.โ We will see how I feel about Instagram now, but I may end up dumping it altogether.
Wonderful outfit, Rena! Love the two tie-dyed pieces paired together. You look fabulous!
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Oh very wonderful style
I love the dress
Rena, I have to say that I loved your topic of Instagram this week! It is a real sore spot for me personally. I also loved that your survey was all about our IG experiences! By the way, the outfit you are wearing in this post looks fabulous! Smiles, Linda at Paper Seedlings
Instagram has honestly become a chore for me. It used to be fun, but I feel as if I am missing out on people’s feeds because it’s all the algorithm choosing what I see. And NO! You aren’t the only one occasionally checking to see if people follow you back. I do that sometimes too! Ha!
Oh I could talk about IG for ages! I often think about leaving. I don’t want to do Reels (and hardly ever watch any) so to me it will continue to be a fun way to share life and talk to friends.
My first response to your survey wasn’t entirely true… I do have an IG account, but I don’t actually post anything. I only use it to look at a very select few other people’s postings. There wasn’t an option that fit that, so I answered that I don’t have an account at all. I’ve thought about exploring it as a way to promote my blog, but after reading your post and the comments, perhaps I shouldn’t bother. I’m frustrated enough with Facebook at the moment without adding another social platform.
I enjoyed your post so much. This is my first, but definitely not last, time here. The way you thought things through and articulated them it was like you were in my head. Ice really had more of a dislike relationship with IG the last 7 months than ever before.
Love the survey you had too. How fun!
bosbodaciousblog.blogspot.ca
Love this post Rena! Could talk about this for awhile! I do like Insta for inspiration- and I do use it as well to inspire others- And, I use it as a teaching tool as well for my fashion students (so I have to keep up with my posting!). But I usually use it as a tool that goes along with my most important place, my blog- and, like I said for teaching purposes. I also use it for my clients. It’s like a backup or spin-off of both teaching and blogging- but never more important than the focus on my blog itself.
the reason why instagram imposes reels is that they compete with tiktok and they are not very successful in that, but what should we do? well, the answer is simple: either-or … business is a ruthless game …
By the way, your outfit is amazing๐
I love the photography aspect of IG but it seems like it’s ALL ads these days. The over doing it with the ads has kind of ruined it for me personally.