“Using Instagram as a Self-Publishing Platform—To Do or Not To Do?” by Samantha Szumloz

Image Source: Iconosquare

Instagram is perhaps one of the most powerful word-spreaders in our media today. The app circulates news, memes, and opportunities in our society. It can additionally be used as a space to share art, writings, and other passion projects with the world. Instagram can be a fantastic resource for us writers to tell our stories and gain a following. With that being said, there are drawbacks to using Instagram (or any social media app) as a self-publishing platform 

Allow me to break down those drawbacks for our artistic benefit. 

For starters, from a publishing standpoint, if one wants to explore their horizons and submit their posted poetry, short stories, etc. to a literary journal, they may not be able to do so because the art is already considered published. Most literary journals only accept unpublished work, which may include posts on social media or personal websites. I cannot begin to list the number of times I have shared a poem online and regretted it because it matched well with a magazine’s taste. Of course, I could have taken the post down, but why get rid of a piece that receives so many likes? Navigating the social media world as a Gen Z writer comes with its challenges. That is why we must be careful about the pieces we post. We sometimes need to save our “golden” writings for something bigger, which can mean holding back from posting them on our Instagram pages.   

Secondly, just like in the real world, people can be real jerks. Unfortunately, Instagram is not Fort Knox when it comes to keeping out cyberbullying. I have never experienced this treatment firsthand, however, I do think of a younger Rupi Kaur whenever I contemplate Insta-backlash toward a poet. According to the Guardian article “Rupi Kaur: the inevitable backlash against Instagram's favourite poet,” written by Priya Khaira-Hanks, people online mocked her fragmented free verse style of writing, basically bashing it for being too short and superficial. Of course, all writers are going to be subjected to criticism at some point in their lives. Criticism is a huge part of the writing journey. Nevertheless, social media can give internet trolls an extra boost of courage when criticizing writers. Their critiques can be much uglier (and exaggerated) than the critiques formed by well-read individuals and professional editors. So beware the trolls! 

Lastly, as much as Instagram is filled with millions of users, our posts/pieces are not going to attract everyone, predominantly pieces representing BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. The literary world has historically been dominated by straight, male, white writers and publishers, leaving little room for these communities to spread their art. We have made some progress over the years at making the publishing industry more inclusive online and in print. However, a great imbalance still exists, especially now with our political atmosphere. That is why it is crucial that we continue to create spaces inside and outside our phones for marginalized writers to give their art homes. The opportunity for creative expression should not lie within one platform like Instagram, for no platform is perfect. We must keep innovating. 

So, is it wise to use Instagram as a self-publishing platform? I would say that it can be wise, however, we must be smart and resilient while using the app. I would also say that it is wise to utilize other spaces (zines, reading groups, etc.), for, as I stated before, no space is perfect. For us aspiring authors, it is a matter of finding the sweet spot between strategy and creativity, promoting and sharing, to gain a following. It is certainly a learning curve, but like writing itself, learning curves can produce something wonderful. We just need to experiment with the resources in our sandboxes.