Has Instagram Become Unusable? Why Artists Complain About Instagram

In recent years, Instagram users have grown increasingly dissatisfied and disillusioned with their experience on the platform, with many claiming that Instagram has become unusable. As a result, some are drastically reducing their time on the app, while others have stopped sharing posts altogether. But what has led to this shift? What are the grievances users have with Instagram, and how are these issues affecting artists?

One of the most frequently encountered complaints from Instagram users revolves around the overwhelming presence of ads and sponsored posts. Before the shift from organic to paid content, Instagram’s primary purpose was to share photos and connect with like-minded individuals, fostering a sense of community and friendships. Today, many feel that Instagram has become unusable as it morphs into a business-oriented platform. For instance, one Reddit user writes that they “used to make friends on IG that often turned into real-life connections. It really doesn't seem to foster this type of engagement anymore. Ads, memes, accounts I don’t know, posts I don’t care about.”

Such sentiments reflect people’s overwhelm with the amount of ads, branded content, and sponsored posts. Consequently, many users report seeing fewer posts from friends or accounts they follow, leading to a sense of disconnection that takes away from their overall experience. The rise of influencers has contributed to this shift. Initially, many users embraced the trend, and among those who started early, some managed to achieve success. However, the current oversaturation of influencer content has led many to view it as inauthentic and disengaging. As one Reddit commenter noted sarcastically, “Now every average person acts like an advertising agent.”

For artists, this shift primarily signifies intense competition. Trying to grow organically on Instagram has become increasingly difficult, especially as the platform has become unusable in some ways due to overwhelming ads and commercial content. As a result, smaller pages often find themselves overshadowed by more commercially successful ones, leaving them with two options: keep trying or invest money to promote their work. This brings us to another critical issue: costs.

The costs associated with Instagram have become increasingly complex. Users wanting to avoid ads can purchase a subscription plan, which many fundamentally reject. In contrast, artists often contemplate whether they should try promoting their music via sponsored posts. Nevertheless, investing money into social media marketing does not guarantee success, as ads can sometimes create negative associations for viewers.

While high-quality, engaging content can mitigate this issue, less compelling or poorly executed sponsored posts may lead to indifference—or worse, negative sentiments—toward the artist’s work. If they lack the resources to produce visually striking content, the effectiveness of their sponsored posts may be further limited.

Another significant issue for Instagram users is the platform's ever-evolving algorithms, which impact both marketing strategies and content exposure. For instance, when following someone new, their content tends to become prioritized in the feed. This can unintentionally drown out and replace the posts from previously followed accounts, which may eventually become forgotten. For users, this means that the content they genuinely want to see may not always be shown to them, while for artists, the algorithm creates a risk of being overshadowed.

Fortunately, Instagram does offer a feature that allows users to view posts only from accounts they follow, which can help reduce the prevalence of sponsored content in their feeds. Additionally, they can temporarily turn off sponsored posts for up to 30 days. However, these options are easy to forget amid the daily scroll, leaving many artists and users frustrated by the lack of visibility for their content.

Another widely discussed issue is the rise of social media bots. Although bots are nothing new, many users are not fully aware of the extent of the problem. According to the 2024 Bad Bot Report, “almost 50% of internet traffic comes from non-human sources, with bad bots accounting for nearly one-third of all traffic.”

Bots exist for various reasons, including scamming and political propaganda. Scam comments typically aim to lure potential victims into clicking a link, where they are prompted to pay for a fake product or service or to share their personal data. Fortunately, these types of comments are often easier to spot, as they tend to promote products or services aggressively and in ways that do not align with the content of the original post. In music, bots are used to alter streaming numbers or view counts, making a release more profitable or appear more popular than it is. This is what a so-called bot farm or click farm does and looks like:

However, detecting bots that spread political comments can be much more challenging due to the intentions of those who create them. Such bots are designed to promote polarizing views by infiltrating pages with diverse political audiences or by targeting groups likely to disagree with their comments. This strategic approach helps them gain visibility for their viewpoints, potentially swaying opinions through frequent exposure.

One of the main issues is that these bots can mimic real user behavior, making certain opinions or perspectives seem far more common than they actually are. Moreover, they tend to spread misinformation to warp the landscape of political discourse. This form of manipulation not only drives engagement but also distorts genuine conversations and undermines authentic discussions.

Thus, it is essential to be cautious about the comments and pages you encounter. If a page seems inauthentic—having only a few followers, lacking substantial content, or displaying other dubious traits—it is likely a bot.

The next complaint revolves around Instagram’s inconsistent approach to enforcing its community guidelines. Many users report that after flagging offensive, explicitly discriminatory comments, they receive a response stating that it “doesn’t go against the community guidelines.” Despite numerous promises from Instagram to address these issues, new reports and articles frequently surface, showing little to no change. This lack of action has fostered an environment where cyberbullying has become somewhat normalized. For artists and content creators, navigating these environments can be emotionally draining, painful, and even dangerous.

At the same time, users often find their own posts deleted for alleged violations that never occurred. A common example involves tattoo artists having their work removed for "explicit content,” although the post merely showcases a tattoo on someone’s back or ribs. Similarly, discussions around certain political topics that contain important but heavy information are frequently taken down, while violence or hate speech often remain on the platform. Activists view this as censorship, a belief further fueled by Meta's recent, almost secret limitations imposed on political content. To continue seeing such content, users now have to dig through their settings and find a button to reactivate seeing political posts in their feed.

However, what exactly qualifies as "political" remains unclear. For artists who do activism or address political topics in their music, the lack of clarity can have a negative impact on their ability to express themselves and still reach their audience. Moreover, art and politics often intersect. Historically, (non-mainstream) art has regularly played an important role in political movements. Limiting such content disrupts this tradition, especially since so many artists use Instagram to not only reach their audience but also to share their thoughts and views on important issues.

One more grievance worth mentioning is Instagram’s shift from being an image-first app to a platform that revolves around both video and photo content, which some users feel has made the platform nearly unusable for traditional sharing. This change largely stems from the emergence of TikTok as a major competitor. Once Instagram recognized the popularity of short-form video content integrated into an endless scroll, it implemented its Reels feature. Although many users enjoy watching Reels, some content creators see them as an obstacle and feel pressured to create video content, as square posts lose visibility.

Furthermore, if TikTok becomes banned in the U.S., the situation could worsen significantly. Currently, reach on Instagram is already low; if creators who rely on TikTok shift back to Instagram, the platform may become even more oversaturated. With the existing algorithm, it is difficult to see how so many creators vying for attention can effectively maintain an audience, leaving smaller creators to drown in an ocean of content.

Despite the numerous complaints about Instagram, many people continue to use the app regularly. This has multiple reasons. First, although the sense of community may have diminished, Instagram has become so deeply ingrained in modern society that it is challenging to disengage without feeling "left out" of social circles. For instance, many use the platform to discover local events, to connect with new acquaintances, stay in touch with friends, or to access information and learn about trends.

Additionally, Instagram is set up in a way that renders it highly addictive, even more so for those who do not turn off their notifications. And, with millions of users worldwide, many individuals have come to accept the platform for what it is, even as the user experience deteriorates. As a result, some say that Instagram does not feel the need to make significant improvements, as users are likely to remain active despite the issues.