It seems like every time you open Instagram, someone is complaining about their post exposure or the algorithm on their profiles. Whether algorithm changes or some other inexplicable event have dropped their engagement, the reason they don’t have a following yet is because Instagram is always holding them back. What we fail to realize is that this free platform that promotes our work really doesn’t owe us anything.
This is the general feeling about such “free” platforms, but as we’re starting to realize with Facebook, it’s not free. We pay for it with our attention and our data. If it were truly “free,” then how could it survive? The hundreds of millions of people who use Instagram provide valuable information, and give eyes to advertisers. As long as you’re giving up data and being fed ads, it’s not free.