Too many businesses live or die by their social media presence. I don't want my business constituted by any social media platforms.
The best way my fans and supporters can connect with me is via email. Email subscriptions have been around since the beginning of the internet. This is an old way of doing things that is still relevant to this day. Seemingly every website wants you to sign up for their email newsletter and sometimes offers a small discount for doing so.
Having an order history makes you a customer. Customers are automatically added to the list. Customers have a higher priority than non-customers. Emails sometimes provide offer opportunities not found anywhere else, especially now that I'm no longer using social media.
As many of you know, I wrongfully lost my 16.4k instagram account in 2023. I was given no chance to defend myself. There is no "fair due process" on the internet. Platforms monitored and governed by AI algorithms. Especially Meta owned platforms (IG, FB, Threads).
Artists and content creators cannot afford to put all our eggs in one basket. I know too many photographers and models whose businesses would absolutely tank if they lost their social media accounts. I don't want my business constituted by any social media.
In short here is a run down of reasons why I'm trying to unplug and live off grid.
Culture wars
Algorithms funneling users only into their own interests creates a bubble of world views, belief systems, and cultures that only interest you. This creates narcisists who have zero tolerance for other peoples differences, opinions, beliefs, ideas, etc.
Modern agendas
I have zero interest in modern agendas. I'm about having fun, the creative arts, photography, and being an independent individual. Stephan Partipilo is proudly NOT affiliated, nor associated with, any third party groups, forums, systems, establishments, communities, etc. I'm in charge of my business. I'm the captain of my ship. Not anyone else but me.
Censorship is out of control.
In the real world we have creative freedoms. We can live differently, be different, think different. "Think different" used to be Apple's motto back when Steve Jobs was around. But on social media today, everything is either conforming to a popular style/trend or it's invisible. The ai algorithm sees you're account, tries to categorize it automatically, and if you don't meet certain numeric criteria, or have low traffic/engagement, or you're not very active on there, it "shadow bans you". Basically it pushes you down and not even your own followers see your content. NOT EVEN YOUR OWN FOLLOWERS SEE YOUR CONTENT.
Every platform changes their Terms and Conditions multiple times per year. Sometimes they tell you. Sometimes they don't. And when they do tell you they don't have to tell you everything. Many social media bans "the sale, promotion, and/or distribution of exclusive content". While at the same time offering "exclusive content" or "for members only" features. Instagram is a perfect example.
Selling exclusive content outside of instagram is banned. But using instagrams exclusive content features is perfectly okay as long as they're getting the money. YouTube has a members only section now too. Every social media wants you to use their exclusive content features only. They don't want you to have your own. And they take anywhere from 2.8% to 40% sometimes more.
If a bunch of people mass report your account, it will get taken down with no chance to defend yourself. If an AI algorithm wrongfully judges your account you're account will be removed and you will have no fair chance to defend yourself. It's a giant scam. Why subject yourself to that unfair treatment?
Cancel culture
Certain accounts like mom.uncharted are earning a living, making real money, from creating content where they talk negatively about other users/accounts they dislike and send all their hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) of followers to mass report and de-platform other users/accounts. Those accounts are given no chance to defend themselves and even if they could they will not be listened to by anyone. Which leads to another point...
There's No Fair Due Process on the internet
"If you think this decision was made in error"... type in your email, send photo id, touch id, face id, give us your private info, pay us for verified check marks, etc. This does NOT equal a "fair due process". It's harassment. It's intimidation. It's a synyster means to syphon more of your personal info, data, and money -oh and by the way this does not mean your account is immune to termination or being removed at all. In the real world you're given a fair trial and if you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for you.
Chronically online behaviors and life styles
The real "divide" that I choose to believe in is not "left vs right" or anything like that. It's people who get all their ideas and opinions from the internet, versus people who get real-world, real-life, experiences. I beleive a healthy balance does not look like doom scrolling. I don't want to start my day, nor end my day, with any scrolling whatsoever.
Algorithms and AI
Seemingly every content creator, artist, influencer, etc. are constantly trying to "trick the algorithm" or conform to the latest way social media is doing things. "Here's what's trending", etc. When I was a kid in the 90s we used to say "above the influence". The word "influence" was not a good thing. We were all concerned about what was influencing us and our children. I do not want to live my life according to any standards of any AI algorithms. I don't want my business or lifestyle dictated or influenced by an algorithm or AI. I know too many content creators who would financially lose everything if they lost their social media accounts.
YouTubers have been complaining about the YouTube algorithm for over 10 years. To this day, many videos get de-monetized, or removed, for various reasons -almost all of them being wrong/innaccurate judgements made by an AI algorithm.
Real businesses are affected by this. We literally cannot afford to put all our eggs in one basket. That is why I made my own gallery/store owned by me.
Disconnection from real life
People only post what they want others to see. You don't see the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Sometimes they only post the highlights of their life. Sometimes they post content calling out other content they dislike and disagree with. TikTok is famous for masses of people posting rant videos where they whine, complain, cry, etc. Is that what you want to be known for? Is that how you want others to see you?
I have always said that I want my photography to motivate and inspire others to live their lives and rise above their personal fears and insecurities. I want people looking at my stuff to think "wow this guy is doing what he wants with his life, maybe I can do what I want with my life too". That's one of the best case scenarios.
One of my favorite photographers, Vanessa Joy, has a blog post on her website, and also a playlist with video series about "The Ugly Side Of Social Media". Below is the full 20 minute video.
Vanessa Joy sits down to discuss the ugly sides of social media and what it’s like being a photographer online in 2025.
2 Ways I've Used Social Media In The Past And The Challenges I Encountered
The following are based on 10+ years of personal experimenting with Instagram and Facebook. I will discuss two methods of using social media as a content creator, what challenges I encountered, and why I've decided it's not worth my time, money, effort, and energy anymore.
Method 1 : A personal account for finding like-minded people to collaborate with.
I could create a personal account with lots of content of myself, no one else. Then use that account to DM, comment, and try to reach out to other human beings I hope to collaborate and work with. This was extremely easy to do back in 2015 till about 2019 or so. Back then you could DM anyone. A lot of people were doing things "for the gram". It felt like more people were open minded back then too. This would be an attempt to find like-minded people to create and work with. But I doubt it would last long and there are way too many challenges today that I don't want to deal with.
Most photographers are already doing this but instead of posting content of themselves, they post their works instead. I have always said that people like me for my personality. It takes time to get to know someone and you know even less about them if all you have is their social media. But today most people feel like they know someone by judging their social media. I don't want to be judged by social media, I want to be judged on my personality and work ethic.
There's also a few serious challenges if you're not posting your work in this method and only posting content of yourself. The main one being that whomever you reach out to cannot see your work just by going to your portfolio. It feels sketchy like you're hiding something. But you're forced to hide it because the AI algorithms won't let you post your works without huge risk of being deplatformed. But even if you are posting your works there's still a few serious challenges.
First : a lot of accounts no longer let you message them unless they follow you. It takes time and effort just to find out if their account is one of those accounts or not. Sometimes you can DM them but only then are presented with an error message "this user cannot see your DM unless they follow you". If you're message does get through it's often filtered to a "requests", "other", "potentially spam", inbox. Popular accounts receive multiple messages every day. So your message not only goes to another inbox they likely don't check often, but also will be in a giant sea of other messages they likely are not going to sort through. What a waste of time and energy. That's not a numbers game I want to play.
Second : if you're messaging lots of accounts and not getting many responses, the AI Algorithm is likely to assume your account is "spam", or that you're a scammer, etc. And you're account will either get shadow banned, or straight up removed -again with no fair due process to defend yourself. Sometimes users can report your message request as spam too even if it's not. If enough people report your messages as spam, the ai algorithm just assumes you're spam and your account will be removed.
Third : if the person you message doesn't like, or disagrees with what you're doing, they only have to put you on blast in a FB group, reddit thread, or similar, and all their people can mass-report your account and get you deplatformed. They can share your account with a cancel culture account like mom.uncharted, make their argument for why they hate you're account, and then that creator puts you on blast instead.
Method 2 : an artists/creator account used to display my art work and further expand my fans/supporter base.
There's a bit less risk because in this method, I'm not messaging or reaching out to anyone. Each post could say "© Stephan Partipilo LLC. All Rights Reserved". Each post would likely be my collages and could include personal hashtags like #stephanpartipilo #stephanpartipilollc #portraitsbystephan #stephanpartipilophotography.
There's still a risk of cancel culture and being put on blast by any haters. The more successful your account is (i.e. higher traffic, higher engagement, etc) the more the AI algorithms will promote your account. That means haters are likely to discover your account, put your account on blast, and try to get your deplatformed. There's just no defense for it. Haters have always been empowered on the internet.
Many content creators are doing this method all the time. Their accounts get taken down, and they start all over again. The cycle repeats till one day they give up and stop trying. I don't want to play that game. It seems like a huge emotionally draining, waste of time and energy to me.
As you can see, all of the above methods are a huge waste of time and energy for someone like me. High cost of time, money, and energy. Low reward for insane amounts of effort.
Photographers are not the only ones dealing with censorship, culture wars, and toxic haters. Musicians have been dealing with puritanical bigotry forever
When I go out and meet people I wear a Boblov mini camera just in case because you never know if you’re about to meet a crazy person or not.
Going Forward
So if social media does not work, what does?
I've been posting my work on various platforms that seem to offer more creative freedoms such as DeviantArt, 500px, Flickr, etc. in addition to running an active blog. All of this has helped increase my online presence with SEO.
To find models, I plan and organize projects and photoshoots, and then pitch them to various agencies. If I can find one agency who is willing to work with me, there's infinite possibilities for making art.
Additionally, I'm still carrying business cards and shooting my shot every time I meet someone. This was a lot easier to do when I was younger but I still physically put myself out there to this day. My business requires me to go outside and meet people. I have always said the best part of being a feet photographer is not the feet but the people that you meet.
You absolutely have to be a people person to have a successful photography business. The best part of the job is also the worst part of the job. Some times you meet the best humans on earth. Sometimes you meet the worst too and they try to tear you down. It's like high school never ends. And today with social media, it's got even worse in my opinion. So I'm setting myself free from the hamster wheels of social media.
The best ways to connect with me are my emails and website. The best way to view my works and support me at the same time is via my personal gallery. You can also see some of my works on DA, 500px, and sometimes I will still post on Twitter/X. But otherwise, good bye Mark Zuckerberg. I'm done being a rat in your algorithm cage.