Instagram for Artists: Why Followers and Likes Don’t Guarantee Success

Growing on Instagram these days is rather like entering a marathon… blindfolded, with your shoelaces tied together, while someone hurls Mauritian bananas at your head as you sprint. Those already at the top? They’re off in a limousine. The rest of us? Barefoot, flailing hopelessly, desperately chasing the shiny vehicles of the chosen few.

As an artist, apparently not having an Instagram account is almost sacrilegious. Yet, after years of posting, I still find myself asking: “What on earth is this little theatre actually good for?” Building authentic relationships with potential clients? Naturally… as easy as convincing a cat to enjoy a bath. Even with top-notch content, the algorithm peers at you, smirks, and consigns you to digital purgatory.

So the burning question is: what on earth are all these blessed numbers actually for? On paper, Instagram is a global showroom: you display your art, grow your audience, and find your so-called “tribe.” In reality? It’s a Hunger Games arena where the rules change fortnightly and artistic quality is utterly optional. Well, nearly always.

And then there are the followers, likes, shares. We stare at them every day as if they were the Oracle of Delphi in app form. But they aren’t mere statistics: they are the hard currency of the attention economy, the psychological steroids that keep the circus running, deciding who gets the spotlight and who languishes in the wings.

Why the numbers matter (and oh, they do!)

Likes and followers are not mere decorations: they’re the oil in Instagram’s gears. Every extra digit builds perception, competition, and desire. A post with half a million hearts automatically seems more authoritative than one with twenty, even if the content is identical. It’s the infamous social proof: if “everyone likes it,” it must be brilliant.

Think of it like a packed restaurant or, in the art world, a painting hailed as genius by the masses. You might yawn in front of it, but the chorus of approval becomes your verdict. Anthropology disguised as marketing: humanity has always followed the herd, even when the herd is chasing an illusion or something terribly, terribly wrong. Centuries later, we finally notice.

For creators, these numbers aren’t vanity: they’re market currency. Brands won’t ask how many brilliant ideas you had this morning in the shower, they’ll ask how many people follow you. And in selling art, likes are the business card: quick, superficial, perfect for anyone not inclined to dig deeper.

The problem? The system is a snowball. A post gets some initial attention, the algorithm nudges it, likes and visibility multiply… and the snowball grows. Anyone starting today is crushed under the avalanches of others’ success. Without paying for ads or performing digital acrobatics, organic growth is a mirage.

Result: Instagram rewards those already famous and propels them further. The rest? They can either scale the mountain barehanded or rent a helicopter (translation: advertising budget) to reach the summit.

Instagram without numbers: liberation or algorithmic dictatorship?

Let’s play a game: tomorrow you wake up, open Instagram, and… poof! Likes and followers evaporated. Zero. Not even a solitary heart survives. Imagine the faces of those who flaunted millions of followers yesterday: suddenly, everyone stands naked in front of the feed, stripped of their numerical armour.

Instagram has experimented with this already: you could hide likes from others. And, in truth, you can still choose to do so.

Result? Less social anxiety… but also less time on the app. Because, let’s admit it, the implicit comparison and competition is the secret fuel keeping the engine running.

If numbers vanished entirely, the landscape would be… interesting:

• Regular users: less pressure, more freedom to post without fear of digital humiliation.

• Creators: disaster. Without public proof of your following, only the invisible algorithm judges: the absolute, mysterious king deciding who rises and who sinks.

• Instagram itself: farewell competitive boost, farewell “I see it’s viral → must join in,” which means less time spent on the app.

Numbers aren’t mere frills, they are the currency of the ecosystem. Remove them, and the platform becomes a game where the sole arbiter is the algorithm. And an opaque algorithm is like a judge who never explains their verdict: it rewards or condemns without a hint of reasoning.

When Instagram faced the choice between reducing social anxiety or maintaining high engagement… guess which metric won? Spoiler: neither scenario is particularly delightful. Removing numbers doesn’t solve the problem; it simply shifts power into the algorithm’s invisible hands.

The true ruler: the algorithm

How Instagram decides who wins (and who dissolves like a pencil sketch in the rain)

Likes and followers? Just scenery. Backstage, the real conductor is the algorithm, an invisible creature that never sleeps, never eats, obsessed only with keeping you in the app as long as possible, like a hostage with a polite smile.

Art? Information? Fluff. It measures retention: how long you linger, whether you scroll into comments, hit “save” like a nuclear button, or share the post with unsuspecting friends.

And so:

• Banality disguised as suspense triumphs: a 15-second video with a last-frame twist outshines honest, well-made content.

• Clickbait and covert erotica thrive: pure sugar for the brain, fast-food emotional stimuli. A nipple concealed under a postage stamp is fine; a realistically painted nude? Not so much.

• Real art struggles: smaller audiences, fleeting consumption, muted interactions… algorithm benches it.

The algorithm isn’t an art critic; it’s a human attention pawnbroker. It buys your seconds wholesale and sells them to the highest advertising bidder. And we? We dance, believing we’re free, while an invisible DJ spins tunes we didn’t request.

The Instagram “success” paradox

Numbers and algorithm hold hands like shady poker mates, snickering while dividing the pot. In this carnival:

• The already popular: soar on turbo unicorns to new plains of likes, leaving trails of glitter and sponsors.

• Newcomers: skate in worn-out shoes over sandy floors, watching the podium through borrowed binoculars.

• Winners: often the loudest, cheekiest, or most visually orgasmic content in three seconds. True originality reads poetry in an empty room.

Remove the numbers? Not liberation. Just a shift from display capitalism (“Look how many adore me!”) to algorithmic monarchy (“I know what you want, and I serve it before you ask”).

The throne remains occupied: the platform stays a kingdom of attention, ruled by the unseen, unchallengeable sovereign.

After all, if Instagram makes you feel like an invisible artist in a sea of filters and likes, remember: true visibility isn’t measured in hearts or double taps. Art speaks for itself… especially when it’s hanging on your wall.

So, if you really want to stand out, stop chasing algorithms and start collecting pieces that actually matter. Dive into my collection and grab a unique artwork—because your walls deserve more than just another “like.”

Discover my original art → All Art Collections