#25 FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM: AM I WASTING MY TIME?
Today photographer Jack Lowe questions what he’s doing feeding the Instagram and Facebook machines. Jack has been travelling the UK and Ireland on an eight year ‘self-funded’ project to photograph every lifeboat station. Social media helps bring patrons on board to support what has become his job. But two weeks ago and still with two to three years to run on the project, he stopped feeding to Instagram and Facebook. I ask the question; “Why?”
Let’s do some Insta facts. Over 1 billion active monthly users. Somewhere between 25 and 30 million businesses post using it. The average user spends 53 minutes using the platform each day. Apparently Instagram helps 80% of Instagrammers decide whether to buy a product or service.
And then there’s Facebook. 2.6 billion monthly active users. It reaches a slice over 60 percent of all Internet users. 80 million businesses use Facebook and despite the cries from the young folk that it’s now a platform for the old folk, that’s not supported by the statistics. 65% of Facebook users are from the younger demo; under 35 - and even with my poor mental maths that means the majority of users are not wearing carpet slippers and claiming you can’t hear the words in pop songs these days.
Add to that the commercially eye watering fact that 78% of American users have found products they want to buy using Facebook, it pips Insta to the post of being the Champion platform if you want to the world to know you’re breathing.
Simply put, Facebook still connects more people than any other company has managed before it. In history. Period.
So why would a respected photographer with a strong formula for successfully courting the power of engagement on Facebook and Instagram, effectively switch off his feed? Well, listen on for the answer.
Jack’s Lifeboat Station Project is a fascinating endeavour that you’ll hear about in a Focus Edition next month, although I’ll be featuring short excerpts from that show over the coming weeks.
