Skip to main content Digital Camera World Digital Camera World THE HOME OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY Search Digital Camera World View Profile Accessories Buying Guides The Photography & Video Show Digital Camera Australian Camera Australian ProPhoto Photography Magazines Why subscribe? Issues filled with product reviews, latest updates, expert advice and more Delivered to your Android or IOS device Every issue is packed with photo tips, kit reviews and inspiration From$12View Camera news Camera rumors Photography & Video Show Photo mag deals Cheatsheets Recommended reading Websites and Stock Photography Every photographer should get a website – and in 2025 there's no excuse, as it's easier than you think, as I found out Photography 10 ways to raise your photography profile without social media Photography Photographers used to be witnesses, now they’re just influencers Photography Why I gave up on Content Credentials - even though I believe in it (and you should too) Photography I worry that my favorite photos will have vanished by 2040 – and maybe you should, too Smartphones are trying to morph into cameras. But camera companies already tried this…and failed Social Media Can you actually tell the difference between images taken on the Fujifilm X100F and GFX 50S II? Social Media Here's why I think the Instagram alternatives are failing photographers 6 June 2025 Photographers keep jumping to new platforms, but none of them deliver the goods. Read on as I explore the reasons why. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Vero is a great app, but there aren't a ton of people using it (Image credit: Vero) Instagram used to be a photographer's playground. Sadly, those days are long gone. The platform that once celebrated photography now treats our carefully composed images like an inconvenient interruption between Reels of people dancing and trending audio clips. The algorithm has decided that still photography is dead weight, burying our work under an avalanche of short-form video content and AI-generated motivational quotes. As a result, engagement has plummeted, reach is abysmal, and the few people who do see our posts are too busy scrolling to actually look. So what's the alternative? Well, there are many. And that's kind of a problem. Over the last few years I've watched more Instagram alternatives rise and fall than I care to count. But unfortunately, it's been little more than an endless cycle of hope and disappointment. You may like Every photographer should get a website – and in 2025 there's no excuse, as it's easier than you think, as I found out 10 ways to raise your photography profile without social media Photographers used to be witnesses, now they’re just influencers The great migration myth Here's what actually happens when you join these alternatives. You sign up, excited about connecting with "real people" rather than bots and influencers. You upload your best work and start following the handful of others who've made the jump. For the first week, you're buzzing; finally, a platform that gets it. You need to pay for Glass, and that's a deal-breaker for many (Image credit: Glass) Then reality hits. Your stunning landscape gets three likes. Your street photography masterpiece gets one comment from someone who clearly didn't look at it. You refresh hopefully, but there's nothing new because the same 12 photographers post weekly. The level of engagement makes your dying Instagram account look like Times Square on New Year's Eve. This is the chicken-and-egg problem of social media, and why Flickr—despite being designed for photographers—never regained its glory. You can have the most photographer-friendly features in the world, but if nobody's there to see your work, what's the point? Even worse is when these platforms do attract users—but they're all fellow photographers. Suddenly you're trapped in a pretentious echo chamber, where everyone's an expert and nobody's actually looking at photos. They're too busy analyzing compression algorithms and debating chronological feeds. Get the Digital Camera World Newsletter The best camera deals, reviews, product advice, and unmissable photography news, direct to your inbox! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. When your entire audience consists of other photographers, conversation devolves into tired debates about camera brands and editing techniques. It's like being stuck at the worst photography meetup of all time, except it's happening 24/7 in your pocket. The sustainability crisis Running a social media platform is expensive: servers, bandwidth, moderation, development. Instagram can afford to show your photos to five people because they make billions from advertising. These scrappy alternatives, though, are burning through their venture capital faster than strobe lights empty batteries. So while they launch promising to be ad-free forever, they then quietly introduce "premium features" or start begging for donations. Pixelfed requires users to choose an "instance" or server to join, which can be confusing for new users (Image credit: Pixelfed) Glass is the exception: from the start, they've made a point of charging users to join. Which makes sense, but in reality it creates a barrier casual users won't cross. Vero, meanwhile, tried subscriptions and you can hear tumbleweeds in their timeline as a result. Other Insta alternatives make the fatal mistake of trying to become Instagram. They start with clean, photo-focused interfaces, then slowly add Stories, video features, shopping integrations—all the bloat that made us hate Instagram. Suddenly your "photographer-focused" platform is just another generic social media app with a smaller user base. BlueSky is heading down this path with Flashes, their Instagram clone. It looks like early Instagram, which would be great if it were 2010. But in the words of Taylor Swift: "I've seen this film before / And I didn't like the ending." The harsh reality Maybe Instagram alternatives aren't failing because they're doing something wrong. Maybe the fundamental concept is flawed. Instagram's golden age happened because it was the right platform at the right time—when smartphone cameras were getting good, but social media was still novel. MeWe has reported over 20 million users, but this is still a fraction of mainstream platforms (Image credit: Me We) We can't recreate those conditions by building a better mousetrap. The magic wasn't in the features—it was in the cultural moment. Instagram succeeded by becoming the default place to share visual content, not because it was the best platform for photographers. Network effects matter more than features. So here's my advice to photographers. Stop chasing the Next Big Thing on social media. Create your own website. Build an email list. Develop real relationships with clients and fellow photographers. Use Instagram as a necessary evil if you must, but don't pin hopes on the latest alternative promising to save photography from the algorithm. The sad fact is that there probably won't be another Instagram for photographers. The internet has moved on, attention spans have shortened, and social media economics favor video content over artistic expression. Instead of waiting for someone else to build our perfect platform, maybe it's time to accept the golden age is over and figure out how to thrive in the world as it actually exists today. 5 new social media platforms you've never heard of that could help your photographic career Social Links Navigation Tom May is a freelance writer and editor specializing in art, photography, design and travel. He has been editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. He has also worked for a wide range of mainstream titles including The Sun, Radio Times, NME, T3, Heat, Company and Bella. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Every photographer should get a website – and in 2025 there's no excuse, as it's easier than you think, as I found out 10 ways to raise your photography profile without social media Photographers used to be witnesses, now they’re just influencers Why I gave up on Content Credentials - even though I believe in it (and you should too) I worry that my favorite photos will have vanished by 2040 – and maybe you should, too Smartphones are trying to morph into cameras. But camera companies already tried this…and failed Latest in Social Media “Remove her clothes” – Grok’s latest AI fiasco illustrates one of the key dangers of an autonomous AI Instagram finally lets users record longer videos, shoot in 4K, and skip watermarks – but you’ll need this new app Does embedding an Instagram violate copyright? A photographer wants the Supreme Court to decide 5 new social media networks you've never heard of (that could help your photographic career) “I’d like to see TikTok remain alive.” President Trump expects a TikTok deal to save the app from going dark (again) on April 5 10 documentary shorts every photographer should watch on YouTube Latest in Features First, it made a retro compact camera. Now, Camp Snap is making a digital Super 8 camcorder – and I predict it'll be a hit The Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition is a great compact camera – if you can find it in stock! My new camera took an unexpected dip in Iceland... what happened next surprised everyone Want to be a pro videographer? Here’s the gear you need to succeed Has the best DJI leaker missed something really obvious? And I don't just mean this new device… Gah, I've discovered I've been charging my phone all wrong for years! Are you making the same mistake? LATEST ARTICLES First, it made a retro compact camera. Now, Camp Snap is making a digital Super 8 camcorder – and I predict it'll be a hit Trump is reportedly drafting new policies against China-made drones. But as a DJI pilot, I’m actually hopeful – this is why Will Apple announce the rumored camera at WWDC – or is it another victim of Trump's tariffs? Fujifilm just launched a “new” X100VI – and three more cameras. The X100VI-JP could be a good sign for tariff-weary photographers 8K DCI or 8K UHD? Which video setting should you use for your filmmaking? Digital Camera World is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Terms and conditions Contact Future's experts Privacy policy Cookies policy Advertise with us Accessibility Statement Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Please login or signup to comment Please wait...