Hello dear reader!
Welcome to another issue of this newsletter. This week I want to talk about photography and the fediverse. Don’t worry, it is not a technical post, it’s a post about building connections outside of the algorithm. To break up the text, I’ll include some photos and a video.
In this issue:
- Fediverse
- Photography without algorithms
The Fediverse, is a space that feels smaller than traditional social media, but more human, and closer to the early internet, when it was possible to discover new people and connect on mutual interest. A time that was not driven by an algorithm, but by shared curiosity.
What’s the Fediverse?
The Fediverse is a network of open platforms (think the likes of Instagram, Twitter, YouTube) that are built on shared protocols, not owned by a single company. Instead of having one company controlling everything, there are multiple communities that can still talk to one another.
One of the best analogies is email: you might be reading this newsletter in Gmail, while someone else is using Outlook or Yahoo, all of them different companies, but you can still send messages back and forth. In the Fediverse, the same happens for social media platforms. You can publish from a certain platform, and people can interact from others. Why does it matter? Because it gives us more freedom in where and how we want to publish and consume content from others. In the email analogy, it matters because we can read email from anyone, not only from the ones that are registered with our same provider.
The Fediverse as a Photographer
As a photographer the Fediverse offers a refreshing way to share my work. It’s not about competing against reels and playing the algorithm, it’s about uploading photos and connecting with a community. No more quick reactions or following the latest trend trying to become viral. It feels closer to a conversation than broadcasting into a void.
For photographers Pixelfed is a dedicated platform. It works and looks similar to Instagram in the early days: simple uploads, chronological feed, hashtags to organise photos. The community is active and growing, and you don’t need to compete against an algorithm. Because Pixelfeed is federated, people on other instances can follow you, say people from Mastodon can interact with your posts and your content.
As I still maintain my photography presence in Instagram, stepping into the Fediverse it’s refreshing. It feels a more intentional space to post and engage with people passionate about similar topics. It’s not about chasing for reach or fighting algorithms, nor is about creating reels of the behind the scenes or point-of-view. It’s about the photos and the connections. It’s about building a new community, and sparking new conversations.
If you want to give it a try, join us. The fediverse is a welcoming community. And if you want to start following people, I highly recommend the work of @sarble@gram.social, @Cirillux@pixelfed.social, PicsbyMargot, Alicja.
That’s it for today! If you enjoyed this issue, share it with a friend! Know someone interested in moving away form Instagram, is wanting to try something new? Send it their way, it might inspire them too. Did you open an account? Let me know!
Luis