Disillusioned With X? Here’s Why You Should Switch To Instagram
When Elon Musk pondered buying the social media platform Twitter back in April 2022, it was fair to say that people took it with a pinch of salt. Being a philanthropic – and oftentimes wildly irrational – billionaire, an offer like this seemed almost too bizarre to be true.
After all, this is a man who launched a car into space, with the David Bowie song “Space Oddity” playing on a loop. That doesn't exactly scream rationality!
And yet, on October 27th, 2022, the $44 billion deal went through, and Elon Musk was named CEO of Twitter. Since then, Musk has laid off around 75% of staff, introduced a subscription service to pay for verification, and renamed the platform to “X”, which is Musk’s favorite letter.
The Big Switch
While we’re aware that there are many fans of Musk and his off-the-wall antics, there have been a lot of problems with X since his acquisition. For one, the verification process led to far more imposter accounts, each one posing as famous people or companies.
There has also been an influx of harmful content – most likely due to the bulk of the trust and safety team being let go – which has taken far too long to be removed. As well as this, the user experience of X has a lower rating than ever, leading many users to ponder giving up on the platform entirely.
We’re not here to say whether this is a good or bad idea – you can find problems in every social media platform – but for anyone wanting to try pastures new, now is as good a time as any to try out Instagram.
The Thing About Instagram
You might think that we are joining in with the Musk vs. Zuckerberg debate, but honestly, this isn’t like that. We obviously have a lot of experience with Instagram – one of the main benefits is that you can create a photo book in 2 clicks, straight from this platform! – but several benefits are obvious whether you have that experience or not.
Firstly, the problem with X is that everything happens in real time. With a heavy emphasis on news and updates, this can make the platform quite overwhelming for the average user, while Instagram moves a lot slower. If you want to linger or be subject to a single niche, then it’s far easier to achieve that.
Instagram isn’t about news or trends. While X can often feel like a news/debate platform, Instagram is first and foremost a social platform. And because of that, everything feels far more relaxed, smooth, and catered at your own pace.
For The Creatives
One of the best things about Instagram is that it really caters to the creative types. X might be great for one-liners, but Instagram is known for its various content creators, including photographers, writers, artists, dancers, musicians, and so much more. Because everything moves slower, there’s also more chance of people lingering and absorbing what’s in front of them.
If you’re a photographer, you can not only use Instagram to post your pictures and upload them to a photo book maker, you can have people interact and spend time with your photographs. Add to this the fact that a post will stay longer on a feed if it is interacted with, and you can see how this platform is great for accumulating more fans and followers to enjoy your work.
Intimacy And Authenticity
For the creator, too, Instagram is a more intimate platform. Unlike X, Instagram is designed to open the door to different lives, while also allowing you to connect with them on a deeper level. This can not only give creators the space to shine, but serves as a way to get back inspiration and keep creators enthused. It feels more genuine.
It also makes it more genuine. One of the problems with X is that it’s becoming harder and harder to distinguish between truth and fiction, to the point where you can’t tell if a profile is genuine or not. With the X interface relying more on AI, this is a problem that might only get worse. Instagram, however, champions authenticity and honesty – as well as diversity, variety, and creativity.
The Bottom Line
We don’t want this to be a competition between X and Instagram. They are two very different platforms, after all, and they both offer different things. But if you’re growing disillusioned with X, then we’d certainly recommend you give Instagram a try.
Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned Facebook! Maybe we’ll save that for the next article...