Alright, so I figured I’d try to get a handle on this whole Instagram thing. Not for posting selfies, mind you, but to see how discoverability actually works on there. Maybe find some cool new communities or see if it’s any good for, say, a small side project I was tinkering with.
So, I started by setting up a fresh account, keeping it pretty neutral. Then I began exploring. I typed in some general interest keywords, things like ‘crafts,’ ‘local artists,’ ‘indie music,’ stuff I’m actually into. I wanted to see what kind of content the platform would push my way, and how easy it’d be to find genuine creators.
My Frustrating Findings
And boy, did that go off the rails fast.
Almost immediately, my feed and suggestions started getting flooded. Not with cool artists or musicians, oh no. It was like a tidal wave of these… well, let’s just say profiles that fit the whole ‘Instagram porn stars’ vibe, or at least accounts desperately trying to look like it. You know the type: suggestive photos, links to shady sites in their bios, comments sections full of bots. It was relentless.
I tried using more specific hashtags. I attempted to report some of the really obvious spammy ones. Didn’t seem to make a dent. It felt like for every one genuine account I stumbled upon, there were twenty of these others clogging up the works. My ‘practice’ of understanding Instagram discovery quickly turned into a masterclass in how easily the platform gets swamped by this stuff.
- I spent hours just trying to sift through the noise.
- I clicked ‘not interested’ so many times my finger got sore.
- I looked for ways to filter it out, but it’s like a hydra, cut one head off and two more appear.
My whole idea of using Instagram for something productive? Pretty much dead in the water after a week of this. It’s not that I’m a prude or anything, but when you’re genuinely trying to find, say, woodworking tips, and you’re constantly dodging these kinds of accounts, it’s just frustrating. Makes you wonder what the heck is going on with their algorithms or moderation. Are they even trying?
It’s a real shame, actually. Because buried under all that junk, there are probably some really talented people trying to get noticed. But good luck finding them. My little experiment just left me feeling like the platform is a bit of a wild west, and not in a good way. I just gave up trying to make sense of it for my original purpose. What a waste of time, honestly.
