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From Reward to Burnout: Has Instagram Already Died for Creators?
- Leon Gregori
- Sep 24
- 6 min read
Instagram has been my creative home for six years. I joined in late 2019 with one purpose: to share and promote my poetry book, Out of the Shadows.
I’d never used Instagram before, and in those early days, it felt simple, rewarding, and exciting.
But after six years, thousands of posts, experiments with new features, and building entire communities through poetry and travel, I can honestly say this: Instagram doesn’t feel like the same app anymore.
And it’s fair to ask the question many creators are quietly whispering — is Instagram dying?
In this post, I share my raw experience, from the early days of growth and community to today’s struggles with reach, reward, and burnout.
You’ll see how the platform has shifted, why so many feel it’s in decline, and whether Instagram is still the place to be for creators.
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The Early Days: Clean, Simple, Rewarding
When I first started, Instagram felt like a breath of fresh air. I’d post poetry pieces — sometimes single-image posts, sometimes a carousel with a longer poem.
I’d write thoughtful captions explaining why I wrote the piece or how I was feeling.
And it worked. People saw it, liked it, commented, followed, and supported.
There was a strong sense of community and reciprocity — if you engaged with someone’s work, they engaged back. It didn’t feel transactional; it felt like a digital neighborhood.
Even the features were clean and straightforward. Stories came along, and while I struggled to know exactly what to put there at the beginning, they eventually gave me another way to connect.
Reach was strong. Growth felt organic. There was a clear reward for effort. That reward has all but disappeared today.
The Shift: Reels, Algorithms, and Pay-to-Play
When Reels first appeared, I was excited. I was in Canada during lockdown, experimenting with adding text, music, and creative edits. It felt fresh. Reels were fun, and they delivered real visibility.
But then the shift happened. Reach was slowly squeezed. Suddenly, posts came with constant prompts: Boost this post, pay $2, and get 1,000 more views.
The platform started to feel less like a creative playground and more like a pay-to-play system.
Reels also turned stale. Instead of original content, the feed became full of recycled trends, identical hooks, and endless “how to grow on Instagram” coaches trying to sell you something.
The variety and creativity drained away, replaced by an endless scroll of sameness.
Meanwhile, the algorithm became more punishing. Like one random cat video, and your feed is cats forever. Genuine engagement turned into algorithmic signals, which made people hesitant to interact at all.
And then there are the bugs. The app constantly shifts, features break, posts upload blurry, and captions vanish.
Buttons move every week, features appear on one account but not another, and half the new tools nobody asked for.
Instagram is trying to be everything at once — video app, shopping app, AI app — and it’s failing at all of them.
Engagement Collapse: The Community Disappears
One of the clearest signs that Instagram is dying is the collapse of engagement.
Four or five years ago, gaining followers was a natural process. You’d find someone new, like a few posts, maybe leave a comment, and they’d come back to support you.
A like was a like, not a trap for your Explore feed.
Today, engagement feels hollow. Likes and comments have dropped. The sense of community is gone. People are hesitant to engage for fear of what it will do to their algorithm. Loyal followers often don’t see your posts at all.
Scroll your feed, and it’s almost entirely people you don’t follow. The “Following” tab, which should fix that, just shows you five posts from the same account before you give up.
Stories get buried, too, and if you post more than one in 24 hours, the reach is limited.
Even the “friends feed” is hidden behind taps that most people don’t know exist.
As a result, Instagram feels more like a content dump than a community.
Effort vs Reward: A Losing Game
Creating content today takes far more time and energy than it used to.
Editing tools are complex, polished videos are expected, and you’re constantly second-guessing.
Is the hook right? Did I use trending audio? Should I post at 7 p.m.? Will the algorithm punish me for posting a blog link?
You can spend hours putting together something thoughtful and beautiful, only for it to reach 1% of your followers.
And even if one thing does perform well, it likely won’t work the second or third time.
There’s no consistency, no predictability, and no reward.
Instagram has turned into a job without pay. Instead of being a space to share your creativity, it demands that you serve the algorithm first.
Business Value: From Weak to Almost Worthless
For creators and businesses, Instagram’s value has dropped dramatically.
Links in Stories tank reach. Promotional posts rarely get seen. Instagram shopping was buggy and has largely been retired.
And unlike platforms like Pinterest, which actively drive traffic to blogs and websites, Instagram keeps people locked inside the app.
For me personally, Instagram has never been a reliable driver of clicks or conversions. It was slightly better years ago, but today it’s almost worthless as a business tool.
You can post all the polished content you like, but if nobody sees it, what’s the point?
Community and Connection: From Heart to Hollow
The saddest part of Instagram’s decline is the loss of genuine community.
Back when Jenn and I ran Closer Lives Poetry, we built a community of over 5,000 people who engaged with prompts, joined live readings, and supported each other’s work.
Our hashtag of the same name has over 35,000 submissions.
We didn’t have half the features Instagram has now, but it worked. People cared.
Now, those features exist in abundance with collabs, interactive stickers, DMs, and group chats, but the soul has gone.
Engagement limits, fear of being flagged for “too many actions,” and a flood of bots have pushed people away from authentic interaction.
What’s left feels more like silence than conversation.
Where Is Instagram Heading?
To me, it doesn’t feel like Instagram knows where it’s going.
It’s trying to compete with TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and even shopping apps, but in doing so, it’s lost its identity.
On my phone, I have three different Instagram accounts, and each one looks different. Different buttons, fonts, features. It’s fragmented, buggy, and inconsistent.
The only thing creators consistently ask for is reach. Look at the comments under any post from Instagram’s CEO, Adam Mosseri — it’s the same chorus every time: We just want our followers to see our posts.
Until that changes, in my opinion, the platform will continue to decline.
TikTok thrives because it rewards people. Whether or not those millions of views translate into long-term followers, the dopamine hit of visibility keeps people posting.
Instagram has stripped away that reward, leaving creators drained and disengaged.
So, Is Instagram Dying?
For me, the answer is yes, at least in the spirit of what it once was.
Instagram used to be fun, creative, and rewarding. Today it’s cluttered, buggy, unrewarding, and exhausting. Unless you’re one of the tiny percentage of monetized creators, the app feels like a job without benefits.
Could it be saved? Maybe. Fix the bugs. Simplify the interface. Stop chasing every other platform. And most importantly, give creators back their reach.
Until then, Instagram will remain what it feels like today: an app in decline, a platform that lost its purpose, and a place where too many creators have stopped asking “what should I post next?” and started asking “why bother posting at all?”
Poll
I’d love to hear your thoughts, too. As a creator, I know how it feels from my side, but what about you? Vote below.
0%Yes, it’s already dead
0%No, just evolving
0%Still deciding
FAQ: Is Instagram Dying?
Why does my Instagram engagement feel so low?
Because reach has been squeezed by the algorithm, even loyal followers often don’t see posts anymore, leaving creators with under 1–2% of their audience actually reached.
Is Instagram still worth it in 2025?
That depends on what you want from it. If you’re chasing traffic, growth, or community, the rewards are slim. For some, it’s only worth it as a creative outlet, not as a serious platform.
Why does Instagram feel less fun than before?
The app has become cluttered, bug-ridden, and dominated by trends. What was once community and creativity now feels like polished content for algorithms, with little reward in return.
Leon Gregori
I have been a passionate writer since my mid-teens and find it natural to express myself through the written word.
Now a full-time traveling digital nomad after meeting my amazing fiancé, Jenn, on Instagram, I blog alongside teaching English to students around the world.
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I wish it was not so! My only hope is that Instagram may finally listen to its creators one day. They are the backbone of the app. Without them... IG is gone forever.