I decided to create an Instagram account with the intention of getting some visibility for Omaha Derby Covers.
Prior to that, my general sense of Instagram was that it was a vast wasteland of stupidity, where sawdust heads like Kylie Jenner pitch overpriced lotions and potions to desperate teenagers hoping to buy a slice of that glamorous, Hollywood life.
I’m still mostly convinced that that’s right.
A couple of months in, I’ve rocketed up to almost 150 followers, which I gather is a little bit weak. The one bright spot there is that I did make contact with, and get “follows” from Paul Cox and Irish Rich. That’s some chopper royalty, right there! That makes me feel good.
I’ve also gotten a few inquiries from would-be customers who found me there. So far, none of them are serious players. I’m a little pissed off at one of them right now. He sent me a DM asking about a design. I told him the process, he said that was cool, so I put some time into mocking up a derby cover for him.
I’m happy to do bar napkin mockups like that for customers. What I’m not happy about is when I put the time into doing that, and get ghosted in return. You don’t have to like it. You can decide that my style isn’t for you. That’s all fine. But asking me to put my time and artistic effort into that, and then not responding at all, is a dick move. You’re on the list, buddy.
One of the things I worry about is whether my mission with ODC fits with the market. Instagram gives me the impression that consumers are conditioned to want lots and lots of cheap, made in China crap. I don’t do that. I’m offering a seriously high-end product, and I make no apology for my quality or my prices. If you want cheap, you’re in the wrong place. If you want something you’re great grandkids will cherish long after you’re gone, I’ve got you covered.
The Algorithm
This is where I get completely lost. Apparently there is a thing called “the algorithm” that Instagram uses to decide whether or not to show your posts to people.
I get that, but I can’t make heads or tails out of how it is supposed to work.
When I first got started, my daughters told me that “reels” (Instagram lingo for short videos) were the way to go, so mostly I publish reels, and when you do, you can see how many views your reels get. What I can’t figure out is how The Algorithm decides which reels are good (and therefore get shown to a lot of people) and which aren’t (and fall off into nothing).
There isn’t any discernable pattern that I can see.
Here’s an example. This reel (I can’t figure out how to embed them here, so I can only post a link) is a throwaway video I made in the machine shop. It sat there with next to no action for a week, then suddenly took off. What was really weird was that I started getting hammered with “likes” from people in Indonesia or something like that. Right now it’s knocking on the door of 1,900 views. Go figure.
Then you have this one, which I thought was a sure fire winner. It features Mike from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul, and is cool as hell if I do say so. But after a couple of weeks, it’s only at 256 views.
We’re Being Programmed
All this stuff feels almost dangerous. What it feels like is that we are being programmed to “think like the algorithm”, and produce stuff that drives “engagement”. People get sucked in, trying to figure out what they can post to get the most likes so they get their dopamine rush.
That’s messed up. Like the hive mind is coming to infect your brain. It is literally trying to re-wire the way you think.
No thanks.
All this leaves me conflicted. On the one hand, I’m trying to get the word out so more people know about my art. On the other hand, I feel like the act of participating on social media might end up, fifty years from now, being thought of as like the Worst Thing Ever.
So follow me on Instagram. Or don’t. I really don’t care. If you do, my promise to you is I’ll always keep it authentic and real, and never try to pander to the algorithm.
Jeff
