RMiddleton

Currently I stream on twitch, usually to 0-4 people. When even one person responds to the raw ideas & emotion I share that feels significant. And it happens regularly that a stranger will offer a sincere comment during a live stream.

Streaming to twitch means no extra work storing & editing on my antiquated devices. With just a couple of clicks the archived video stream moves over to YouTube. A similarly small number seem to find my content there as well. And the link is accessible well into the future.

Contrast that to Instagram. I feel I should post there because it's the only remaining site where I can reach people I know. All the formats on Instagram are peculiar to Instagram. (I do not use TikTok or Snapchat or other sites that might share those formats.) I just spent a little time trying to figure out how to creatively share something specific on Instagram:

What are my choices? A video? Can I keep it less than 90 seconds? That's the only way it might reach an audience. No I don't think I can keep it to 90 seconds; it would take a lot of unnecessary work & the point might be unclear. Ok you can make a longer video or a multi panel post. Very few people will see it, but it does remain on your profile with a link that can be shared (until they later wipe it from the servers while letting you think it's still there). Yeah I know. The sliding panels, the minuscule captions, again it's busy work with very little reward. I created the term micro-failures last week in part inspired by what it feels like to be creating on Insta! The easiest is for you to share it as a story. You get less than one minute or you can make a series of less than one minute stories or a slideshow of panels. With your current rate of engagement up to 30 of your 1269 followers might see it. It will disappear in 24 hours. Uh huh. I'm not crazy. This platform's design leads to endless micro-failures that cause burnout. Hey now! There are MANY successful Instagram accounts with enormous followings. You must tailor your content to what works best in the Instagram formats (until they suddenly change & you must relearn how to fit in). Yeah but I don't work for Instagram & that sounds miserable to me. Mostly I want a place to share the art I make elsewhere with my friends who follow me. That's not what this place is anymore. I know, I'm talking to myself. Listen you ingrate, Instagram is offering you the opportunity to reach its enormous user base & if you don't have the drive to make your content in the style that succeeds here, you get what's coming to you. The problem is you, lazy bones. Out of touch old man with your slow talking nonsense! Be gone! Juicing short attention spans is all there is. I do feel that's all there is on Instagram yes. That's why I like streaming. Instagram has live streaming! Yes I have tried it. An Insta live stream experience is someone joins, says nothing, and quickly leaves. Or someone joins, says one thing and then quickly leaves. There are obviously great people on Insta but every live video is awkward as hell.

Ok ok. Did that get too intense? I think I can still post to Insta while keeping sane & not burning out but it sure af isn't easy. Many ideas I have that I want to share with the people I know on Insta... a lot of times I need to remind myself it's not worth the effort to fit an idea into Instagram's formats.

To my friends on Insta: As I say repeatedly I sure wish y'all would leave. I assume you must like the addicting, fast & short content that I don't watch. I think it's bad for human concentration, but that's your business. And seriously THANK YOU if you ever take the time to look at the messy, unappealing stuff I share. I'm not leaving bc this place is my only connection to people I know online (bc y'all won't come to where I am — but I repeat myself). But if you do ever find your way to the stuff I share anywhere else SUPER DUPER THANKS!

And it's not just me, there's a whole internet full of cool & interesting stuff being shared beyond the confines of the no-attention-span format.

Peace, Love, & Internet

By Rob Middleton who can be reached @[email protected] on Mastodon