Don't Be Upset with Social Media

"The algorithms suck, no one is seeing my work, I have X amount of followers, this is insane."

Social Media platforms are filled with these kind of statements and "influencers & content creators" are posting their insights while complaining and tagging Meta because they don't feel like they are being treated fairly...

There is too much content online! This is a fact.

I really don't want to rant about this but since this is my blog and my own space, I feel I can do so to get it off my chest even if no one reads it.... I've been on Social Media almost 20 years if you go back to the days before Facebook. Yes, there were actually photo sharing platforms before FB... Remember PhotoBucket, Fred Miranda (still going), Flickr (still going strong) & Nature Photographers Network. Back in the day there were only a handful of people online sharing their work so of course your work was going to be seen by a higher percentage of people. Fast forward to today and there are millions if not a billion people who are online on social media... Everyone who has a phone is now a photographer and has easy access to any social media platform. I remember when you had to log on to a computer to access Facebook.

In the most common sense way possible, let me tell you my very logical point of view.

I'll use my IG account as an example - I have 30k followers on there. I'd say 95% are organic as I try my best to weed out the bots and fake accounts. (see below)

When I create a post, do I really expect 30k people to see it? Some of you are probably thinking, "yes, that's the point of having followers" but the answer is no... here's why.

If each of my 30k followers also follow 1000 other people and even if only 250 of those 1000 post each day (me being one of them) what are the chances that someone will see my work. Each of my followers will now need to scroll through 250 posts if they want to see all the posts that were done that day and I am using this small number as an example. Most large accounts have way more followers than I do. I don't know about you, but I don't scroll through that many at one time...I'm on social media a lot but it's very random throughout the day. As new images get posted, the older ones generally go to the bottom and i'll probably never see them, just like many people wont see my work.

There is simply too much content online from everyone for each of our fans/followers to see the work we are doing on a daily basis. I consider myself a very small account even with 30k on IG...I have over 300K on FB and years ago when I only had a few thousand I was getting way better views.... Check this out!

Here are some posts from 2014 & 2015 and you can see the numbers on these posts.. I can't make this stuff up... today I am lucky to get 100 likes, a couple comments and a share or 2.. and I have 30x the amount of followers...

We just have to understand that there is simply too much content on Social Media these days and that's the fact! Your work can't be shown to all your followers who also follow 1000's of people, it's just not logical... Quit complaining, keep posting and doing your thing and enjoy the process of creating what you love to create.

A couple more facts because I only speak the truth -

1. Most of the accounts with large followings have a lot of bot/fake accounts that follow them. They are more interested in the actual number of followers than they are authentic followers... These are some examples of what a fake/bot account looks like. 99% of these in your "followers" are fake/bot accounts. The best thing to do is block them.
   

2. I scroll through a lot of images and I do see quite a few images even though I may not take the time to comment or like an image...I'm seeing as much as I can. If I see a post that asks a question and there are already 100 answers, I scroll on by because I'm sure whatever I am going to say, has already been said. I, personally, like to interact with smaller accounts, not celebs, bands, ect... I also don't follow many hub/group accounts unless they are an account i've worked with before.

3. I like to interact with people and companies I actually know and work with. I believe that supporting others who support you is key.

4. If I give a post a like, it's because I actually like it and it made me stop to look. If you're someone I know, I'll generally comment and or even share the post.

We are so desensitized by the "death scrolling" that nothing really jumps out at us anymore. Unless there is something we are specifically looking for, it takes something special to get our attention when we do see it... Just think of how many amazing images or posts from friends you're not seeing.

Don't complain that you're work isn't being seen by as many people as you want, no one wants to see their feed filled with people complaining...

Keep creating and following YOUR creative path

Your vibe will attract your tribe - I believe this....

Be consistent with your posts. By doing this your followers will start to expect to see stuff from you.

If you hate making new post each day, schedule your posts. It's super easy to do and then you're not on the hook each day to post. I just did this for a FB/IG account I run and it only took me about an hour to schedule 2 weeks worth of posts.

I've noticed that recently IG stories are getting more views than before...

Lastly, if you're a business/creator account be sure to interact in some way with the people who are interacting with you... I like to reply to comments on my work and say thank you. At the least, give their comment a like so they know you've seen it.

A little kindness goes a long way.

Darren