By Gabriella Rodriguez ’27
Opinions Editor
For a platform that markets itself on building connections and sparking inspiration, Instagram isolates and exhausts its smallest and most vulnerable creators.
By destroying the visibility needed to survive on the platform by demanding that users follow trends just to be seen, the platform crushes creators’ efforts to reach new audiences and share their work. Instagram’s algorithm also rewards content theft in the form of video reuploads.
When browsing a hashtag — also known simply as a “tag” — users formerly had the option to sort through “recent posts,” “recent top posts” and “top posts.” While recent top posts and top posts were determined by their level of popularity and engagement, recent posts were only determined by the time they were published. By viewing recent posts under a tag, users could more easily encounter smaller creators that might not have appeared in their feed otherwise.
However, in subsequent updates, Instagram has removed the ability for users to see “recent posts,” eliminating an opportunity for users to discover smaller creators. There was no apparent reason for Instagram to make this change, but as a direct consequence of their actions, it is now even more difficult for small creators to reach new audiences.
Additionally, in an effort to emulate TikTok’s short-form video style — something that YouTube has also done through its introduction of YouTube Shorts — Instagram heavily rewards creators’ use of Reels. Instagram Reels are short videos that often feature trending audios, such as popular songs or voice clips.
Like other social media platforms, Instagram wants its users to remain on the app for as long as possible. Most Reels are quick, attention-grabbing and addictive to watch. The algorithm shuttles users from one Reel to another to keep them engaged and entertained. Based on factors such as watch time, user engagement and popularity, Instagram will promote certain Reels while burying others.
Small creators that use trending audios for their Reels can suddenly rocket into the social media stratosphere. This unprecedented popularity is exhilarating for them, so they push themselves to post more and more, eager for more love from their new audience. Artists trying to grow their business may even invest everything they have into this “big break,” believing that they will finally receive the clients and commissions they had always hoped for.
But trends are typically short-lived and unpredictable, as what was relevant a month ago may be obsolete today. Creators may go viral once with a trending Reel, but this does not guarantee that their subsequent content will have the same reach. They are the shooting stars of the digital — famous one moment and forgotten the next.
“They are the shooting stars of the digital — famous one moment and forgotten the next. ”
Desperate for another taste of their former popularity, many creators are left chasing trend after trend to no avail. Eventually, they lose the passion and joy that they once had for their work. Any hopes of their business taking flight die as they become trapped in an endless cycle, toiling for an algorithm that never cares for their efforts and only buries them deeper and deeper into the ground.
Another problem on the platform is the rampant amount of content theft, where a person takes someone else’s work and publishes it to their own account with little to no modification. Imagine the following scenario: a lesser-known artist draws a scene of a forest and posts it. In their caption, they include hashtags such as #trees, #forest and #nature.
Now, imagine that a more well-known user sees this post and decides to reupload it on their account with no credit to the original creator. They screenshot the image, crop the borders and publish it to their own page — all in a matter of minutes or even seconds. They include the same tags as the original creator, but because their account is more popular, they are more likely to reach a wider audience within a shorter time.
Now, when users look up the tags #trees, #forest and #nature, they will come across the top recent post first — the stolen content. They will like and comment on the reupload, not the original post. The Instagram algorithm will pick up on the high user engagement with the reuploading account and continue to promote it while the original creator gets left in the dust.
Even reposting with credit can still be harmful, as the vast majority of users will not bother to click on “more” when reading a caption and, as a result, might never learn about the original creator. Although some people who reupload content ask the original creator for permission first, an alarming number of users do not.
Reuploads can also spark chain reactions, where additional users reupload content that was already reuploaded — the original creator cannot even begin to confront everyone who has republished their work without their consent.
Reuploading animations without permission from the original creator is especially egregious and, unfortunately, very common. As an art form, animation is extremely demanding; artists must dedicate incredible amounts of time, patience, skill and creativity to their projects. Although an artist might work for hours, days or even months on an animation before they post it, another user can repost it in mere minutes.
This grows exponentially worse with the algorithm’s heavy preference for Reels. Since Reels are rewarded, it becomes all the more likely for these reposts to blaze out of control, aggressively spreading throughout the platform. The algorithm actively fans the flames, and after a certain point, the original artist cannot possibly hope to reclaim their work. The millions of views, likes and comments that should have gone to their original post are irretrievable.
Without this valuable user engagement, which could have elevated their account, the original artist never receives the visibility they should have. They constantly swim against the current of the unfeeling algorithm.
Although small creators face many challenges that undermine their efforts, their future is not entirely bleak. Some large creators use their platforms to shine the spotlight on smaller creators, encouraging their followers to support their work. Small creators also band together and lift each other up in a show of solidarity. Many artists create what are known as “artist support” posts, which encourage artists in a community to introduce themselves in the comment section and discover other artists, following and befriending their fellow creators.
When users share posts and Reels from other creators to their Instagram Story, a feature that allows users to make posts that are available for 24 hours, they can also help spread visibility for underrepresented creators. It is important to note that there is a crucial difference between reuploading and sharing.
Unlike reuploading, users who share posts to their Stories do not take away exposure from the original creator. By clicking on the Story, viewers can automatically go to the original post, where they can like, comment and follow the original creator. In this manner, users can help where the Instagram algorithm fails.
Nevertheless, it is still important to address the issue of stealing content from small creators. For creators who choose Instagram as the platform on which they share their work, they must continually deal with forces that push them down.
For small creators who depend on commissions to make a living, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to find clients. The platform betrays them. The way that the algorithm works means that large accounts keep growing larger while small accounts suffocate. For this reason, it is absolutely essential for creators to support one other—Instagram certainly will not.