The Algorithm Isn’t a Monster.

Besides the same four jokes, one thing has been very consistent about Writergram: the lamenting about the algorithm. QOTD (Question of the day), “engagement slides” on stories, complaining about “flopping posts”, and general frustration with Instagram. Some users have adapted to posting a lot of reels, others have stuck stubbornly within pictures (like myself), and we all feel that pang of ah, shit when people don’t interact with our posts. It’s human. However, we’re missing the point.

A note for those unfamiliar with Instagram jargon: when a post “flops” it means it doesn’t do as well compared to the other content a creater has posted. “Engagement slides” are when, on stories, creators try to boost their activity, and thus their reach by adding a lot of interactive elements to a story. QOTD is another way that creators try to get engagement on posts by having their followers answer the “question of the day”.

Another note: “Writergram” is a community on Instagram that primarily consists of teenage writers, authors, or aspiring authors. You can typically find it by searching under the hashtag #teenwritercommunity

Instagram

Note: since writing this article, there has been a minor update to Instagram that allows users to filter who they see on their home feed. This has bolstered activity and interaction somewhat.

In June of 2021, the head of Instagram stated that “Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing app”. In Andy Day’s article on Fstoppers titled “If Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing app should we use Twitter instead?”, he states, “Instagram is and has always been a social media app […] Given that social media is in a constant state of evolution, Instagram’s announcement is no surprise […]” Change is to be expected and priorities are going to shift, whether or not online communities like it or not. Written on Instagram’s official blog in June of last year, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, says that it is not running on a singular algorithm (The Algorithm) but rather an amalgamation of “algorithms, classifiers, and processes” each tailored to different branches of the app (home, explore, reels, etc.) Interestingly, there are also things called “signals” that are used; acute information from a post, like the time of posting, who it is that posted (and the patterns of their activity), how much you have interacted with the poster, and a thousand other little things that make up what does and doesn’t get shown to you. Seriously, if you want to get a treasure trove of information about Instagram’s mechanics, read “Shedding More Light On Instagram’s Algorithm” by Adam Mosseri on about.instagram.com. In short, Instagram’s main goal is to keep you on the app, not to make you grow. 

But that previous paragraph focused more so on Feed and Stories, not on the explore page. Officially, from Mosseri’s post, he writes that Explore is tailored by what your mutuals interact with, content that’s similar to what you interact with previously on the Explore page, trial and error, and what you manually flag. As it is written in the blog, Mosseri makes it seem like smaller creators are going to make it to your explore when, from my anecdotal experience, that is not always the case. The majority of posts that I see on the Explore page have thousands of likes—which in the context of Instagram, makes sense: more people like this, so it’s more likely you will as well. Since I like those posts, I feed into the cycle. However, you can dig into little niches, and access less popular posts, by clicking labeled buttons on the top of the screen. That will lead to more specialized content with a healthy mix of popular posts (over 1k likes) and less popular posts (under 1k likes). Explore is designed to get different content out to you, and since more popular content is more likely to be liked, it’s pushed into your main feed, but “unpopular” posts are easily accessible—especially under hashtags, it just takes more effort to access. 

Writergram is a piece of driftwood out in the sea; it is by our very nature we’re going to struggle to get explore page favor, or much favor at all. Bigger accounts, obviously, are going to be pushed more. Notably, “Writing account farms”, or accounts that exclusively repost content from other sites multiple times a day, are going to be getting more favor than accounts such as mine. Why? Here are some main factors I have seen that lead to the success of writing accounts:

1. Easy to consume content. Memes, simple graphics of writing advice, reposts from Tumblr, reposts of Tweets, etc. Most users are not interested in engaging with long posts (like this one); content about characters, world-building, anything particularly niche about an unpublished story because it takes effort to gain context for the posts, it takes time for a follower to create a connection to the creator and their work, and because it’s ultra-specific (note that this is shifting).
2. Frequent posting. Daily, or even more than once a day. It gives more recent content for Instagram to push (if it deems the user interested in such posts). However, balance is key because if one posts too much and there is little interaction, Instagram is still going to bury posts in favor of promoting more relevant content.
3. Shout-outs. In a tiny community frequent shouting out is a manual way to push users and people tend to be more receptive to it. 
4. Aesthetics. The emphasis is placed on pretty posts with loopy font and heavy editing, and also on easy-to-read text. This can be seen in every facet of Instagram.
5. Trends. Within content format (e.g. using Twitter screenshot posts), in what topics are covered (e.g. morally grey villains; show don’t tell), within reels (e.g. audio from TikTok)

Me, Myself, and I

Coming back from a hiatus, I know that my posts are less likely to be pushed to my followers, fewer people are going to check my stories, and it’s going to take some time to get back “on track”; but here’s the thing: does it matter?

In some ways, it does. That sweet, sweet reward system in my mind is going to ping when I hit over 100 likes. I’m going to feel like I’m a “real” creator and “worthy” of my 1k followers (thank all of you so much for that), and what I put out will feel like it holds weight. I’m not just shouting into the void. It feels nice to be seen and appreciated for my hard work. Validation is one hell of a drug.

But in letting monkey brain take over, I lose sight of the impact outside the rat race. Not too long ago I was feeling down about my account and I confided in one of my closest (online) friends about it. They told me that while they were in class, Writergram came up, and apparently, so did one of my posts. It broke my brain. Social media has so thoroughly conditioned me into seeing numbers that I’ve forgotten how there are human beings behind Instagram’s numerics. People, no matter if it’s 10 or 1,000, have seen my creation long enough to give it a like or to leave a comment—the smaller number of bots aside. That’s incredible! It’s why I should be doing what I do: to create a connection.

 Breaks can’t provide perspective when processes aren’t analyzed and motivations aren’t challenged. Writing this post allowed me to realize that the Instagram algorithm isn’t a monster. It simply is. And my chasing after external validation isn’t the fault of Instagram by itself; when it comes to things like body image, the way in which that platform works can be damaging, but in this context, that is not the case.

So, what?

The Algorithm isn’t trying to kill your account. It’s not a massive fog looming over your posts. It’s not the reason you (might) feel shitty. It takes time to unlearn the mindset of “interaction=success” and feeling the need for external validation. You and your content are enough so long as you are proud. Even though it may feel like it at times, the effort you put into what you create is never wasted no matter external validation. If you want to hit it big, do the things I outlined above for favorable interaction. But don’t overlook the benefits of growing slowly: you tend to make deeper connections with your followers, thus, creating a more tight-knit community; you don’t have to worry about maintaining trends so you can create what you love. 

It’s easy to place the blame onto an entity of sorts, but it’s doing what it’s designed to do: get you to stay on the app. The people who interact with your account the most are going to see what you put out, and the others? Well, that isn’t in your control. In the words of an over-used song from 2013, “let it go”. Acknowledge the sting of inactivity, feel it, and release it. Then, channel your energy into creating what you love and chatting with the people you care about.