It’s inevitable that Instagram will no longer be the main place new creatives share their work. Some of you, like me, may think we’re already there, especially given some of the recent decisions made towards a very heavy-handed push towards video and a very open move away from stills. But regardless of the choices made by IG, no matter what they did or do, IG will inevitably fall off as the cool place to share your work and the core reason for this is time. The brutal truth of this was echoed when Facebook was no longer the ‘cool’ place to be and that happened when fewer and fewer young people signed up to the service. Simply put, nobody wants to be on the same social media site as their parents and when young people fail to engage, creativity suffers. In 2011, IG had 5 million active users in the June of that year. That may seem like a lot, but it’s worth noting that in September of that same year, IG doubled its users to 10 million. 6 months later, FB bought IG for a crisp $1 Billion! So as IG creepily sits alone in a dark corner of their niece’s party clutching a Smirnoff Ice, admiring their purple Crocs and attempting to Vape, who will be the new cool-kid? Sadly, many of us photographers are unsure where the next big party will be. Some of us are rushing around and laying out our towels on loungers and planting our flags wherever we can, but its tough to know what will catch and take off. I’ve spoken in the past about sites like ‘Ello’ and more recently ‘Grainery’, if you’re not there already, it might be worth taking a look and carving your name in the proverbial tree while you’re there. Another site that may be worth your time is ‘Vero’. Again, this has been bubbling away in the background and it’s seen a huge uptick in recent months (for glaringly obvious reasons). Even I joined Vero in 2018 (and completely forgot and I still haven’t added a single post), so if you’re not there yet it may be worth a look. As far as I can tell, Vero had 5 million users in 2021. If Facebook buys Vero next year, you lot better believe I’ll be telling you all that ‘I told you so’ I will endeavour to get some shots up on there soon, and if you join, feel free to follow me and I’ll be sure to start the ball rolling by following you all back. See you there
About the Author
Jake Hicks is an editorial and fashion photographer who specializes in keeping the skill in the camera, not just on the screen. For more of his work and tutorials, check out his website. Don’t forget to like his Facebook page and follow him on Instagram, too. On Jake’s Facebook page, you can also tune in for a live stream every other Tuesday night. You can also sign up for the Jake Hicks Photography newsletter to receive Jake’s free Top Ten Studio Lighting Tips and Techniques PDF and be sure to download his free 50-page studio lighting book.
