I hate Instagram. Because every post results in Meta knowing more about me and getting better in manipulating me and society. Locked in because of the critical mass. For now, it’s the only way to keep in touch with international friends.
Would you be willing to make a Pixelfed account? Today? And double post everything for a while, on Insta and Pixelfed?
It’s the only way to make this work, I think. Slowly creating a critical mass without dumping Insta rightaway. For the moment you and your friends won’t miss out on anything. Along the way mention from time to time on Pixelfed there are no ads, no manipulative algorithm, …
There are tool to import your Insta posts with hashtags and timestamps. Although, apparently, these don’t work perfect yet.
Continue doubleposting until half of your contacts have done the same. Then start only posting to Pixelfed, simultaneously posting an Instagram post saying you and most others have switched and why.
Could this work?
EDIT : perhaps my question is : How can we make this into something trending?
EDIT 2 : if you already switched. Did you manage to convince some of your contacts?
I basically did that for a while. I’ve never had much of a following, and since it’s a hobby, not something I monetized, it was an easy thing to do. Eventually, though, I stopped posting on Insta entirely and went to Pixelfed exclusively. I kept my account, since like you, I have friends and family who are there and will never move away from it.
Turning this into a mass movement won’t be simple. Most people don’t think all that deeply about the implications of using a Meta product. They go where their friends or favorite celebrities are. If you could get someone with a huge following to make the switch, you might see some momentum.