Is Instagram Dead

July 30, 2022 / Adam Scott / 1 Comment

So if you have been paying attention to social media news recently you have probably seen a lot of people asking “Is Instagram Dead?” Or at least that is what everyone using the platform is predicting. For those of you not paying attention to social media news, let me catch you up…no, no, there is too much…let me sum up.

Instagram is dead because Instagram is trying to copy/be like TikTok. Therefore it is giving more priority to video content than it is to still images.

It is not the first time something like this has happened. In 2017 Instagram copied Snapchat by introducing “stories” which I will admit I think Instagram did better than Snapchat. Then in 2018 Facebook tried to turn Instagram into another version of Facebook and started prioritizing ad spending over natural account growth. This meant if you were not willing to spend ad money with Instagram your account was not going to grow or get engagement. Now in 2022 with the rise in popularity of Tiktok, Instagram is once again trying to copy the cool kid, instead of having its own unique style and presence.

Now, why is this a problem you might ask…Well for one thing Instagram was founded on the idea of posting photos. Photographers of every kind made Instagram popular for what it is today. Ignoring where you came from, and worse ignoring the people who helped make you is a terrible thing for any person, business, or social media platform. It alienates your core base user group in favor of a new, younger, hip user. But here is some harsh truth to anyone reading this…Companies have been doing this for years. Think back to internet providers, cell phone companies, insurance companies ect. They are ALWAYS having promos for NEW clients. “Sign up now and get 50% off your first order!” or “Switch today and your first two months are on us!” or “Buy this month and get this nifty service absolutely free!” Every single one of us has heard these kinds of sales pitches before because companies don’t usually care about you after you’ve signed up.

When was the last time you heard of a company offering a promo, special, or offer to customers who have been with them for 10 years? How often has a company called you up and said something like “Hey we see in our records that you have been doing business with us for 5 years so we would like to say thank you by paying for your next month of service?” It does not happen because business owners focus WAY too much on new business rather than existing business.

I recently worked for a company where the CEO was a perfect example of this mentality. He would sign any contract, make any deal, and say anything to anyone (including lying) if it meant closing a new business deal. Meanwhile, he largely ignored and neglected his main base customers.

Instagram is dead because they are doing this exact same thing.

Now, that being said what can be done about it?

Nothing! Natta! Zippo!

Harsh I know, but the reality is there really isn’t anything we can do. We the people do not own Instagram or Facebook, and therefore we can beat our chest and scream our opinions and they will mean absolutely nothing. We have to accept that Instagram is changing because we don’t pay for Instagram. Perhaps it would be different if we all paid some sort of subscription fee to the platform, and Instagram’s profit was tied into those subscriptions, but that is not the case.

So how do we get our content out there? What app do we go to? Is there an Instagram alternative?

As long as you share your content on FREE platforms you will always be subject to the changes that platform makes. However, if you choose to share your content on your own website you will ALWAYS have control over how your content is shared. Now let me be clear I am not advocating for you to leave Instagram. I still have an Instagram and plan to continue to share content there, but I don’t count on Instagram’s FREE model to EVER work in my favor or interest. Even its paid options are not very reliable. But I do count on my website to always have the content I want because I created it and shared it the way I wanted to.

That being said if you would like to follow my social media platforms check out My Patreon, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and YouTube.

What Happened This Week On Social Media

July 22, 2016 / Adam Scott / Leave a comment

Purchase I am excited about: I have been rewatching all the Harry Potter movies, and as you can imagine it’s gotten me into a very Harry Potter mood. So in the spirit of Hogwarts I am planning on decorating my bathroom in such a way that Moaning Myrtle would want to move in. That being said I am very excited about my latest purchase, and look forward to traveling to The Ministry of Magic.

Facebook’s most popular post this week: Coming up with good Facebook posts is always a challenge. I often go through old journals, saved photos and memes, and other idea inspiring resources to create good posts. This week’s most popular post came from a mixture of a book I am reading this week, a meme I had saved on my phone, and a few random thoughts bouncing around in my head.

Most popular Twitter post: If you follow me on Twitter you know that I use it as a way to express anything, and sometimes everything that comes out of my brain. This week I mused on how gullible people can sometimes be. Especially when talking about statistics. Check it out here.

Favorite Tumblr Post: I spend far too much time indoors. I need to go outside more often, explore, and see the creativity, and beauty of the world around me. THIS image reminded me of that.

Favorite Pinterest post: Over the last week I have been thinking a lot about relationships, and how so many of us put up with abuse, neglect, and are taken advantage of. Sadly I have had many such relationships like this in my life recently, and it is a pattern of behavior and abuse that I am just not willing to put up with any longer. So you can understand why THIS image spoke to me like it did. If you really are important to someone they will show you. If not, they will ignore you.

If you are looking for other ways to follow me on social media don’t forget to follow me on SnapChat. It is wild and crazy, but I do my best to keep you all entertained.

Where Can You Find Adam Online

May 10, 2016May 10, 2016 / Adam Scott / Leave a comment

I don’t normally do this, but if you are interested in following some of my other social media accounts, here they are with some short descriptions of what you will find there…

Twitter: @jasonheilpern – Twitter is a place I post random quotes from people past, present, and future. I do #livetweetmovienights and a variety of random thoughts that cross my mind throughout the day.

Instagram: @adam_michael_scott – Instagram is a place I share my photography. I try and share a new photo from either past or present each day. Some of these photos I take with my actual camera…others I use my phone.

Tumblr: @journalthroughtime Tumblr is my happy place. I honestly probably spend more time on Tumblr than any other form of social media. I love the photographs you can find on Tumblr, and I desperately hope I will someday be that good with a camera!

SnapChat: @geekfitness – I am still getting the hang on SnapChat, but I am liking it more and more. I don’t post often, but when I do it contains videos and pictures of my day to day life. This could include me writing, trips to disney or universal, or my never ending struggle to just get out of bed!

Pinterest: @rmcaven0305 – I resisted using Pinterest when it first came out, but the more I used it the more I like it. I have a lot of quotes, climbing, gentlemen and lifestyle boards. As well as boards on journals, writing, and more.

These are literally my ONLY social media accounts. I use each one of them differently, so I hope you enjoy them.

Top Three Social Media Mistakes

February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 / Adam Scott / 1 Comment

A few weeks ago I had the honor of participating in Doce Blant Publishing‘s Q&A. During our conversation we talked about writing, publishing, book covers, and of course my favorite…social media.

Social media has taken the world by storm, and new platforms seem to arrive everyday. While Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram seem to still hold the heavyweight titles, new platforms like SnapChat and Periscope are growing in followers by a surprising number!

With all the platforms out there no one seems to have a clue how to navigate all of them, or even how to use them. Understandably it can be confusing.

Now before we go any further here, if you are looking to improve your social media skills, you NEED to look up Gary Vaynerchuk, and read/watch every single piece of information he puts out! I’m serious! Everything I have learned about social media came from him!

Now that being said lets get started with a few social media basics.

STOP posting the same content on every single social media platform!

While you may have a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account you need to understand that each of these platforms was made for very unique things! Just because Instagram gives you the option to post your photo to Facebook and Twitter doesn’t mean you should!

You need to understand, that is a quick way to lose followers, and irritate people! Imagine for a moment that your best friend had some news to share with you. Could be anything you can imagine. Now ponder how you would feel if that same friend texted you, called you, and showed up at your house all at the same time, telling you the news in the exact same way. It would annoy you right?

Going even deeper into this topic you wouldn’t talk to someone in person the same way you text them right? Would you have a conversation with people in the same way you send email? Doesn’t make sense does it?

Now that you understand that, you need to learn and understand a little bit more about each platform and what it’s purpose is. Once you understand that, start posting content that is in harmony with that social medias platform.

STOP posting bad content!

Whatever social media platform you decide you use, ask yourself these questions…Why am I posting this? What kind of value does this content have to offer?

Bad content is bad content. No one wants to read it, see it, or interact with it!

With so many people on social media these days there is A LOT of bad content out there! So make your content stand out above the rest. Make it valuable, and something people look forward to seeing.

This means you can’t copy other peoples crap! Be creative, unique, and different. Make your content a light in the darkness.

This means you will have to think, plan, and be a little strategic with what you put out on the internet. Not many people have the patience for that, but if you want to be successful in social media you HAVE to do this!

STOP posting to 10 different social media sites!

There are a lot of social media sites out there. And learning to navigate all of them takes time, study, and A LOT of patience! So I suggest starting with ONE.

You heard me ONE social media platform, and study it, work it, and drive home good content on it for a year!

Focus all your effort on that one platform.

I have seen far too many people try to manage 10 different accounts, and instead of managing one account really well, the manage 10 accounts really poorly.

After 6 months to a year of working one account well, try branching out to another. But when you do, same rules apply. Study it, learn it, and publish good content to it.

It is better to have one amazing social media account, than 10 really shitty ones.

So there you have it. I hope this was helpful. I will probably be posting more on social media in the future. So if you have a question about social media, put it in the comments below.

Till next time, be safe, have fun, don’t do ANYTHING I would do, and Cheers 🙂