This Photo-Sharing App Feels Like a Throwback to the Glory Days of Instagram
Are you one of the many who are reconsidering their relationship with Meta’s Instagram ? If you’re looking for another photo sharing channel, Pixelfed, an open-source photo sharing alternative without ads or tracking, has officially released mobile apps for Android and iPhone .
These apps, which allow you to upload photos and videos directly from your phone, come just days after Meta blocked users from sharing links to the service (causing several days of unprecedented levels of traffic in the backlash).
Pixelfed, like Mastodon, is part of the Fediverse . This means that people on Mastodon can follow Pixelfed accounts, and vice versa. This also means that signing up can be a little confusing for Fediverse newbies: When setting up, you’ll need to choose a server to share photos and follow other users. The largest server, Pixelfed.social , is currently slowing down due to the large influx of new users, so it is worth considering other features presented in the application itself (or browse this directory ).
Remember when Instagram was fun?
Decentralization is certainly interesting and laudable, but what I like most about Pixelfed is that it feels like a throwback to the glory days of Instagram. As you may remember, Instagram used to be a photo sharing service. Yes, you can still technically share photos on Instagram, but it’s been a while since that was the main purpose of the app. Your feed, once filled with photos of people you follow, is now dominated by ads and “recommended” videos from celebrities and strangers.
Despite some recent changes that give you a little more control , Insta is also algorithm-driven, meaning that when you post a photo, you’re less likely to have your friends actually see it. Because of this, the people you’re interested in are likely posting fewer photos than before, which in turn frees up the algorithm to post more random videos to your feed. It’s enough to make you wonder why anyone is still using this service – and certainly not for the reasons they signed up for it.
Pixelfed’s mobile app, unlike Instagram’s current incarnation, is simple. You can view photos posted by people you follow. You can see the most popular photos on your server or on the entire Fediverse. Or you can upload photos. These new apps aren’t technically Pixelfed’s first apps—there were plenty of third-party apps that could access them, and they still exist. But now there is an official app and it works very well.
Another thing that Pixelfed lacks: advertising and any tracking. The development team promises that these “features” will never appear. In a Mastodon post, developer Daniel Superno said, “Pixelfed is many things, but one thing it isn’t is an opportunity for venture capitalists or others to ruin the atmosphere,” adding that he has turned down venture funding and plans to never add advertising. . “Pixelfed is for the people, period.”
I’m not one of those tech journalists who likes to make predictions about which apps will “win.” However, I will say that the Internet would be a better place if this mentality was more common.