The Instagram Photo Dump: A Trend That Highlights the Platform’s Struggles
Instagram’s photo dump trend might look like a carefree, chaotic mess of random photos—blurry selfies, sunsets, funny things, and meals—but for public figures, these posts are anything but effortless. As someone who works in PR, I’ve crafted more photo dumps than I can count, and they’re far from casual.
I try not to slag off platforms like Instagram—after all, they’re part of my daily work—but sometimes they make it hard. Instagram seems obsessed with rewarding people who use all its features, especially its wannabe TikTok Reels. And let’s be honest: most users who are willing to make short-form content are already doing it on TikTok, where the rewards in terms of visibility and engagement are far greater. Why bother editing a Reel for Instagram when TikTok’s algorithm actually feels like it’s working for you?
Even I, someone who runs a social media agency, would never consider making a Reel for my personal account, it’s so not me. Instead, I stick to photo dumps—random, slightly terrible ones, like everyone else. And yes, I know the algorithm couldn’t care less.
Even My Photo Dumps Are a Mess
As much as I help my clients craft carefully curated photo dumps, my own are another story. Mine are just photos that worked alright in Tezza (if you don’t know about Tezza, just get it—it makes your feed look much more like you know what you’re doing).
I’m certainly not trying to be an influencer, and I honestly don’t care about engagement and growing a following. My personal Instagram doesn’t benefit me in the slightest workwise. I once went three years without posting, where the algorithm changed so much it just felt boring, posting into an empty echo chamber. I’ve only started posting again because I know that potential clients check it to make sure that I’m a normal human before reaching out, I think I personally would have deleted my account or made it private just for my closest friends if it wasn’t for this…. So, I just share the odd TV or press appearance and photo dump to show I’m alive and working.
I don’t allow my clients to follow me on Instagram. With “Crisis PR” in my bio, it doesn’t exactly give off ‘good person to follow’ energy for a public figure. More like, ‘Oh no, what have they done?’… And it would be me having to deal with any backlash if it were to happen. Fans analyse every follow public figures have, it would be like inviting more work for me.
Once, I followed a well-known comedian because I just thought she was funny. She dm’d me straight away, asking, ‘What have I done wrong?’ Completely confused, I replied, ‘Nothing? I just think you’re hilarious.’ She then said, ‘Getting followed by you feels like three knocks from Death.’ Ha ha.
Anyway, so I can totally understand why people are barely even posting monthly on Instagram these days if they don’t want to do live streams or Reels. It’s like Instagram forgot who their mass audience is, and it’s not content creators. Even in my world, most of my friends who are teachers, office workers etc just have dead accounts they use to scroll and watch TikToks—they’d never dream of filming one, let alone posting it. For the regular person, with a regular job, it would feel so embarrassingly attention-seeking to film yourself chatting to the camera or making a Reel. It’s just not what people signed up for.
The Frustrations of Instagram
Instagram is at its most irritating when it feels like it’s punishing the people who’ve stuck with it the longest. The algorithm now prioritises users who tick every box—posting Reels, using Stories, going Live. Meanwhile, the rest of us, who just want to post a nice photo, get buried.
Who’s Posting Reels? Public figures, brands, people trying to become influencers, or those chasing fame. Unless you’re under 30, naturally creative, or incredibly confident on camera, you’re probably not making Reels. Or worse, you’re poor 60+ year-old Janice, who bit the bait on Instagram’s “make your Stories into a Reel” feature. Now she’s got a slideshow of her garden snaps and blurry photos of her Shih Tzu complete with a random trending song, and no idea what just happened.
What Do Most People Want? Most users aren’t here to become TikTok stars. They want to post a holiday snap, a photo where they look great, or a nice view—not Oscar winning production with great film editing… Or even worse, trends.
Why Is Engagement So Low? If you’re not using every single feature Instagram offers, your content won’t rank. That photo where you look brilliant? No one sees it. It’s not personal—it’s just Instagram punishing you for not playing its ridiculous game.
It’s exhausting because Instagram doesn’t just want you to post anymore; it wants you to perform. Photos alone don’t cut it, captions need to feel like poetry, and now your Stories apparently need a soundtrack.
No wonder most of us feel like Instagram isn’t made for us anymore—it’s made for content creators.
How Instagram Could Be Less Annoying
If Instagram wants to keep its audience—and maybe even lure over TikTok users if the US ban happens—it needs to stop alienating its loyal users and just let the regular people be seen as well. Here’s how it could improve:
1. Reflect Story Likes on Posts:
If someone likes your post through a Story share, let those likes show up on the original post. Simple, effective, and morale-boosting. More people use the stories function over scrolling these days because it’s a way to see who you’re following without a really shit feed of “suggested content” and far too many ads.
2. Make Chronological Feeds Default:
Stop forcing users to reselect chronological order. Let us see content in the order it’s posted—without fighting the algorithm.
3. Introduce a “You Follow” Tab:
Like TikTok’s “Following” tab, this would let users scroll through posts exclusively from accounts they follow—no ads, no suggestions, just the content they care about. They’ll never do this as Meta makes so much money from advertisement, hence why they introduced Story adverts.
4. Stop Pushing Reels So Hard:
Accept that not everyone wants to make video content. Let photos rank equally. Short form content isn’t entertaining for everyone, it’s a bloody headache for most over 30 years old.
The Carefully Curated Chaos
The irony of the photo dump is that it’s designed to look chilled and random, but behind the scenes, it’s often meticulously planned. For public figures, these posts are strategic, intentional, and a way to connect with their audience while staying in control.
For the rest of us? They’re a way to embrace the chaos of Instagram while quietly rebelling against the pressure to play its game. Whether you’re crafting a professional dump or a messy, personal one, photo dumps remind us that even in a curated world, a little imperfection can go a long way.
So, while Instagram is off chasing its TikTok dreams, the rest of us will be here, still posting our random photo dumps, hoping our mates double-tap them out of loyalty—and maybe a random account with 0 followers and no posts. And hey, at least Janice’s garden is thriving with a TikTok star’s song.
That said, most of my clients absolutely hate short-form content and TikTok. For public figures who’ve been well known since before TikTok became massive in 2018, it’s just not what they signed up for. The entire process feels incredibly forced, and there’s nothing more awkward than me and a client in a room together, an iPhone on a tripod, and me trying to convince them to do some bloody stupid, unfunny trend that’s already been done 5,000 times because their label is forcing them to ‘win Gen Z.’
The photo dump, on the other hand, while still a lot of work, is far less painful. My clients still have to remember to send me photos, and I have to go through each one to ensure it’s safe to use—no accidental spoilers, no private details slipping through. On top of that, there’s often strategy involved, like including subtle hints about upcoming projects or releases. But even with all that, it’s still much easier than the performative short-form content Instagram is so desperate to prioritise in its attempt to win back TikTok’s audience.