Why I'm Breaking Up with Instagram

Today, here’s what I posted on Instagram:

I’ve decided to remove my posts from Instagram as I no longer feel aligned with the values of this platform. You can still access my photos at alienlebarge.ch/photos. All my active social profiles are listed on my website as well.
More info on alienlebarge.ch/quit-instagram

Yes, I’ve decided to leave Instagram for now. Maybe it’s just for a while (which I hope isn’t the case), but we’ll see.
The only thing I find unfortunate is that Instagram is the main communication channel for many companies I’m interested in (I’m looking at you, Eurorack module manufacturers). That’s why, for now, I’ll keep an account just for browsing. Maybe I’ll use services like RSS-Bridge. I haven’t looked into this yet.

Some of the reasons I’m leaving Instagram are as follows:

• Waste of time: Instagram has never saved me time. It’s one of those infinite scroll apps that sucks you in the moment you open it. Try, just once, to identify posts that have actually added value to your life.
• No time saved: I once tried to identify posts that were useful to me, or had any added value or interest for me. Not all of it is fluff, but it’s appalling how much useless stuff you find there (or rather, that finds you).
• Meta’s new “Hateful Conduct” policy update: which now allows posts calling LGBTQ people mentally ill, is a plot twist I didn’t see coming—and it’s a dealbreaker.
• AI Content: Lately, more and more AI-generated posts were being suggested to me, and I consider many of them to be visual pollution, utterly uninteresting, with very little thought behind the message conveyed.
• OnlyFans likes: I was fed up with constantly getting likes from scantily clad individuals who, in addition to their uncovered body parts, were promoting their OnlyFans accounts.
• Data privacy and manipulation: Instagram collects a vast amount of user data, including personal information, interactions, preferences, and even location data. The goal was to create user profiles for targeted advertising. I see this as an invasion of privacy and information manipulation.

Now, if you want to keep seeing my photos, you’ll need to come here.