Instagram is now a (photo) information network.

It is no secret that I love fountain pens, and that’s why I get excited about events such as the Manila Pen Show, which is the brainchild of a longtime friend and an admirable blogger, Leigh Reyes. She doesn’t blog much, but she posts everything she used to do on Instagram. And why not — she paints with ink and does calligraphy. She lets the ink do the talking, and her artwork scintillates the mind. These expressions of creativity are made for photos and videos.

When I went to see the Manila Pen Show’s website, every single one of the exhibitors was linked not to their website but to Instagram. These included some of the more traditional and sedate pen-makers from Japan. Earlier this morning, when reading Die Workwear’s piece about shirts, I realized that almost all the bespoke shirt makers, shoemakers, and others announce their trunk shows and new products on Instagram. And so do others who have something to say, sell, or shill.

I personally don’t spend much time on Instagram for many reasons, but mostly because I feel it triggers negative feelings. I occasionally post a photo or two, but it seems not many people see them anyway. Most people are posting reels, videos, stories, and informational posts to get attention, and photography has become less prominent. Of course, the whole feed is just too much algorithmic slop for me to even get excited.

Despite the rain, I took a walk down to my new favorite coffee pop-up, PaperSon Coffee, and realized that even they use Instagram to announce their special events, new coffees, and opening and closing times. And so does every other coffee shop or restaurant. That is when it hit me — Instagram has gone from being “a photography community” to being a “visual information network.”

It is trying hard to be TikTok — but it is not. Instagram, in comparison to the Chinese-owned network, feels like an awkward uncle hanging out with young nephews and nieces — looking at itself in the proverbial mirror — trying hard to be cool.

Anyway, all this thinking about Instagram made me reflect on the early days of the mobile revolution. In 2010, when Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger pivoted their Foursquare-clone, Burbn, to Instagram, I wrote:

However, the company is right to focus on Instagram, which has potential  — mostly because all of us love sharing pictures and congregating around visuals. The continued popularity of Flickr, the skyrocketing usage of Facebook Photos and immense interest in Daily Booth are ample indication that, despite so many options, there is an opportunity for yet-another-photo-sharing service — especially one that is designed from the ground up from the perspective of a mobile user. I feel many of today’s photo sharing services are desktop services re-cast for the mobile. Touch-based smartphones need a unique and more immersive, two-way service. Is Instagram the answer? We shall find out later this month.

A few months later, I added:

While filters might have jumpstarted Instagram, the company which already has over 4 million subscribers, has to focus on its core value proposition — community and the social interactions around unique visual experiences.

Man, was i thinking so small.

Instagram did prove to be a hit, and it changed photography and what it meant to be a photographer. I would argue it did as much for smartphone photography as the iPhone did for camera phones. For the longest time, I was a fan, until I wasn’t. Eventually, the product I fell in love with died and has since mutated enough to become what it is—a visual information network.

Photos and videos are increasingly used for informational reasons rather than just for pure aesthetic and artistic purposes. You can do a much better job of selling yourself with images and videos. I mean, coffee looks more enticing when being made and showcased on video. The same goes for liquid nitrogen being poured over some deconstructed fish or whatever. Everyone is advertising everything. The idea of getting people to see, engage, and appreciate your still images feels so quaint in 2025.

For photographers, there are better but smaller options that are worth trying — BlueSky, for example. Even Facebook-owned Twitter-wannabe Threads is a good option for sharing photos. Or you can do what I do — post my photos on Glass and my website. I have a newsletter — you should sign up.

And if you are on Instagram, check out my friend Leigh’s artwork — it is quite a visual treat.

March 14, 2025, San Francisco