07/19/2026
My personal take on Instagram lately:
It’s become nothing more than a shopping app. You can’t escape it. No matter how many times you skip ads and just try to watch friends stories or reels, every couple stories will be another ad or influencer pushing the latest Amazon product your direction.
And I’m over it.
10 years ago I was part of a photography project called Documentary Photographers with a group of photographers throughout the world. We came together to capture our REAL life, no matter how chaotic it was. Trying to show that unposed, in the moment life was more important than the perfectly curated lifestyles that were being sold to us. It worked for a while, until even that became people creating chaos in hopes of being featured. I feel the pendulum swinging back that direction again.
Instagram has become the newest version of The Home Shopping Network. But instead of sitting in front of a TV watching infomercials all day, we have them in our pockets, with us wherever we go.
I don’t want this app to be about shopping. I want it to be about photos and videos and capturing life again. 🤍