If you have ever opened Threads (the Meta version of Twitter/X, if anyone was unaware), there’s about a 90% chance that you’ve been met with this:
This seems to be a constantly recurring sentiment that I’ve seen across all platforms over the past five years, including Substack with the implementation of Notes. As someone who literally posts on Instagram for a living, I have many thoughts on this, which I am going to share here. Hopefully there are some takeaways that can benefit anyone who finds themselves in the woes of these algorithms.
The most important thing to note about these platforms is that they are engineered to retain users on their app for as long as possible. What is shown to scrollers is not going to be the “best” content, but rather the content that is going to keep you hooked, engaged, and on the app for longer. It means that shares and saves are going to have a heavier weight than just likes, and even comments. The post that is saved implies that the user will come back to it, leading to multiple views on a single piece of content. More time spent on the platform. Posts that are shared generate discussion in the DMs. Same thing here.
This creates a huge challenge for creators and specifically for artists, which is who reads this newsletter, so I will be speaking to artists directly. The dynamic develops an environment where the incentive is not to create the best art you can, with the best technical execution, composition, concept, and so on, but rather to create something that will be shared amongst friends and saved for reference. There is a clear tension between what artists feel inclined to make vs. what will perform.
Below the paywall: tactical examples of my thought process behind presenting work on social media + the mindset I approach content with.
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