Doubtful Practices on Instagram

Fan of Instagram, I love his inspiring little squares of life! And yet … some of his practices annoy me so much!

What I like about Instagram is, above all, the pleasure of inspiring me with pretty pictures full of authenticity, following fascinating personalities from near and far, and exchanging with them.

To subscribe to accounts, I let myself be carried by my desires and inspirations of the moment, according to the feeds that I like at first sight.

Most of the time, my intuitions are good, and I enjoy following the accounts that managed to capture my attention. 

Because I feel good, that I find a certain interactivity, and that I really appreciate the content they offer.

Otherwise, I have the honesty to unsubscribe, even if they are sometimes very good, when I realize that they just do not fit me and do not pack me more than that.

I had some time weakness to believe that it was the same for everyone, everyone really interested in the content of an account, focusing on quality without thought, for pleasure, according to his tastes.

However, the prolonged use of Instagram allows me to discover that if it remains fortunately the majority of the case, more and more often, the lure of numbers comes first.

An Instagram of sweetness, in a world of brutes. Because the habits and customs in force on the network, sometimes glitzy, end up annoying me.

A quick tour of the practices that I find most curious…

• The “ghost” subscribers

Either all these accounts that subscribe … then that one hears never speak. I totally understand that we do not like all the pictures, or that we do not want to comment, but subscribe to an account and NEVER LIKE even a single picture, even at the beginning, I do not see too much interest?

• Perfection at all costs

Like everyone else, I dream in front of certain accounts to photos staged, filtered and retouched, or in front of standardized feeds. It sure looks more “professional” and inspiring.

But as far as I’m concerned, too much perfection tires me quickly. If everything is too clean, I end up finding it smooth , and I do not stick if there is not behind some asperities , some imperfections , which I can identify or attach myself .

And then I suspicious always of such accounts, which saw mass can lead to is feeling devalued with its “small” quiet life, to compare his talents to believe that the lives of others always so beautifully presented is better than his .

Even though we know the risk, it is sometimes difficult to keep a step back and not fall into the trap.

• False shares

You know, those who present themselves as a “thirst for discovering new accounts” … but who impose to invite 12 people , and reposter an attractive montage, in exchange for a promotion of your account on theirs (often not even guaranteed, and presented as a favor) …

The first time, we let ourselves be tempted … Why not? If we appreciate the account, we say that it is a good exchange of process … Only, we disillusion quickly.

Already, because of the hypocrisy of the concept – admit that when you want to discover, you do not need to impose conditions!

And in the end, these accounts usually end up always by highlighting the same type of “attractive” accounts that do not need so much pub. Or on the contrary, will end up tagging 36 accounts on the same photo, where nobody will finally have the courage to click.

In short – the effect for the “sharer” is very limited, while the “shared” is quiet advertising on the backs of its subscribers … (I understand that some people really want to make some discoveries. But let me not believe that the goal is not primarily to make oneself known? I can understand that we want to try once, when it is too regular, it annoys me. )

• The ballet of “follow” / “unfollow”

Nothing more annoying than to see an account subscribe (Aaahhhhh!!!) and then unsubscribe soon after (Oooohhhhh!!!). At first we find this coming and going incessant disappointing, then we get used to it, and we quickly understand that some find a way not very subtle to attract attention to quickly grow their number of subscribers.

Like an account, and then unsubscribe if you hang up finally, no problem. But come back 3-4 times … must still be damn distracted; o)

Sometimes it is clearly identifiable, because the accounts have nothing to do with ours (cuckoo is the pro of fitness is German! It is true that we have plenty in common …!) , Or because we see that they follow thousands of accounts at a time (but of course). 

But others have this type of methods with accounts quite similar to ours, and I find it even more annoying and disloyal. If an account I like, I subscribe as a great, no need to come 3 times in a row pretend to love me!

• Burst like and cardboard thanks

If they do not subscribe, some accounts do not get any better by artificially likening 12 photos in a single go, and going away as they came , just to draw attention to their account (or a variant , come to like all the photos corresponding to a certain hashtag) . If you like, you subscribe!

And worst of all, it’s this new fashion to really thank in the story those who have these kinds of practices! I really do not understand why encourage them? Can we lack discernment to the point of believing that they are sincere likes? Or is it to catch the attention of the tagged account in the hope that he will end up subscribing anyway? Mystery!

• The stories galore

I am clearly more fan of photos, feed, than ephemeral stories. In time, I ended up finding them interesting, if they are spontaneous, funny, or useful, and I sometimes even appreciate seeing the people behind the accounts “live”. As long as the stories are limited, it suits me!

But when an account spends its time filming itself, or worse, filming its children, in completely uninteresting scenes or incessant monologues (all cut with the same way of talking …), it sucks me or even puts me sometimes uncomfortable. In these cases, I go systematically without looking.

And as we do not see stories before subscribing, I can sometimes end up just unsubscribe for that, while I liked the feed!

• Publication notices

Some try to counter the Instagram algorithm, which does not necessarily show all our publications to subscribers, by announcing each new post with screenshots in story.

… Is it really a drama if some subscribers miss a photo? I can understand when it is a photo a little exceptional, or a particular text (a question to its subscribers, a result of contest, an exceptional announcement …), but I do not understand when it is just another photo featureless.

If an account does not see it, it’s certainly because he did not like the previous ones … and we cannot force him to like what we publish! It’s the game, it’s better to know how to accept it…

• Followers purchases and pods

I approach this last point in a more detached way, because it seems to me all the same rare in the accounts that I am. But these techniques are spreading and are basically the most annoying, because the most unfair and most significant of the bait of the figure and gain above all.

First, these accounts magically find hundreds of new subscribers overnight, thanks to the purchase of fictitious “followers” (suppliers openly offering their services in comments).

Then those who subscribe to “pods” , these groups of “likes” exchanges, aiming to create an automatic engagement on the posts, even if it is not sincere .

Fortunately, it remains easy enough to keep a step back on all these practices, and take them for what they are: a “marketing” of the social.

But they remain fairly symptomatic of the change to a dehumanized and less authentic Instagram, which I cannot rejoice.

This is for positive instagram growth information