The last post on Pune-based photographer Sahil Shikalgar’s Instagram handle @visuals_by_zia was on November 30 last year. “I stopped posting because I wanted to write about my pictures. Each one of them has a story,” says the 28-year-old. “Photography is a grey area. [As a photographer, you have to ask] is the subject the art or the composition?” Shikalgar believes Instagram’s focus on visuals takes away from this storytelling, and he isn’t the only one who feels this way.

“Instagram is no longer a photo sharing app.” This came directly from the horse’s mouth in July 2021 when the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri shared how the app would now lean more towards entertainment and videos. “At Instagram,” read his tweet, “we’re always trying to build new features that help you get the most out of your experience. Right now we’re focused on four key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping and Messaging.” Over the following year, many independent creators—who used the space to showcase their work, build a community and find work—decided they would not be dancing to the tune.