I enjoy making digital media, but I don’t like to post it. Meta HATES to see me coming with a new post. I think my work is just too good and the AI gets jealous it could never be as creative and artistic as me. I have three Instagram accounts. The first one I made was for me and my roommate’s cats. I would post pictures of them, make videos, and even made get to know me infographics for each cat. I have been less motivated to post since we all moved out and the cats got separated. I can’t curate posts based on my hyper-specific ideas anymore. My next account is my personal Instagram account where I post my creative works. I am unfortunately shy to post my art because nobody gets it. Only once in my life has somebody understood and really looked at my work. In this age, nobody is going to follow my brush strokes and take the moment to feel what I was feeling when I made my work. They just see scribbles and move on. In their defense, I’ve never finished a painting because I wait for the “skeleton”/background to dry and never touch it again or refine it. It’s easier for me to finish and post digital works but they don’t capture the feeling of un-erasable mistakes and letting the pencil do what my subconscious is feeling. There’s also the rhythmic sounds the pencil makes. Sometimes, I don’t even look at what I’m drawing and just listen to the pencil scratch the paper, something digital media could never replicate. I love drawing words right now, usually the words that get stuck in my head.
The third Instagram account I have is a meme account. I have ridiculous ideas and wanted a space to write them down. I am so shadow banned these days and it makes me mad. I constantly get reported for selling weapons and drugs because the AI moderator can’t take a joke, or read apparently. I try to switch up how I deliver the content but they’ve still been getting zero likes lately. Also, over half of my followers are Syrian middle schoolers that randomly followed my account but don’t know English so they don’t interact or get it. Their inactivity may also be hindering my reach on social media. AI can piss me off as a creative on social media because if the AI doesn’t show my posts to my own followers it’s not going to show it to new people. The algorithm can make or break your account regardless of what goes into it. There needs to be equal opportunity for every Instagram account. I follow people and only their posts show up on my page for months, but everyone else’s posts don’t come on my page. I have to go through my following and click every person’s profile so I can actually see the accounts I follow. Social media algorithms are made with profit in mind but, like, OMG!!! Give creatives a chance to grow!
Anyway, here’s something AI could never think of:
I do agree that as a creative, AI can make or break your account and it is hard to depend on the AI generated algorithm when it comes to art. I think the best way I can combat this is by networking and introducing my Instagram account as a profile in real life. Slowly growing my following by just being proactive in self advertising and asking for their Instagram handle in return, especially if they’re a fellow creative. As silly as it seems, it’s one of the best methods I still love to use because not only do I choose who engages with my account but it allows me to socialize with so many new and different people.
I totally get your frustration with all the social media algorithms. It feels like they’re working against creatives rather than helping them. It sucks when you put effort into something unique, only for it to get buried in the endless swarm of content while the most low-effort, brain rotted content gets all the recognition. Your perspective on traditional vs. digital media is really interesting too. there’s something special about the raw, imperfect nature of physical art that tech just can’t replicate, especially ai. Great post!
You make a very interesting case here, Alondra, for why the algorithm set to social media impedes equal opportunity and/or representation of materials. There also seems to be an inconsistency on what social media platforms use as tags to block certain media. And, in many ways, knowing that there is a pre-set algorithm for what is tracked, monitored, allowed, blocked, etc., makes things more frustrating because we as the users can’t change the settings.