Photography is dead

Instagram has announced that it will be focussing on video content moving forward. “No longer just a photo-sharing app” were the words the head of Instagram used as he unveiled plans to effectively compete with TikTok and YouTube. With this move, it seems that the time of photography is over. Photography is dead.

Of course, I don’t blame Instagram for all of my photography woes. It’s been coming for a while. My neglected cameras have been collecting dust in boxes in the spare room. A stressful job followed by a pandemic has effectively quashed my creative river to a mere trickle. In the distance, I can hear my partner watching reels on Instagram. “This is your fault!” I shout in my head, knowing it was inevitable. There is no fault in this death.

I put an “update coming” landing page on my website months ago thinking I would relaunch myself as a photographer and communicator into the world. Now it mocks me whenever someone sends an email inquiry stating “I checked out your Instagram.” I wonder if I’ll ever go back to a fulsome photography career. Does this death of photography coincide with a death of my own freelance career?

Recently, I was approached to do a job where they needed someone to do stills and video on the same shoot. “Of course!” I replied, “I am looking to get into more video creation.” Am I responsible for this? Or have I just blindly followed the trends created by the algorithm? Can we blame the demise of our planet and world on “the algorithm”? It feels good to have a name to blame even if “the algorithm” isn’t the catchiest. It’s easier than the true reality of colonialism, unfettered capitalism, and rich white dudes who run mega corporations and leech everything they can from the earth and its people for the sake of their own comfort and profits before they launch themselves into space.

Creativity is over and trends are reigning supreme, fed by the algorithm. While activism has had its chance on social media, conspiracy theories run rampant fed by shares and likes. It’s all an illusion. I see shares of “down with corporations!” while everyone else sees “the earth is flat!” and I feel content knowing that no one I know would share something so unfounded. Meanwhile, cults have new names and new members thanks to catchy reels and algorithmic favour.

So, rest in peace photography. I’m glad I was part of the heyday of incredible community and inspiration found on Instagram. You will be missed and I will just be another aged millennial talking about “the good old days.”