Curated chaos: What Instagram’s photo dumps say about art today
As curated chaos becomes the norm, where does genuine artistic expression belong?
On June 23rd this year, I realized that no matter how much you try to reshape your experiences, if you’re stuck in a dumpster, it’s always going to smell like crap.
And I was in a literal dumping ground: “The Photo Dump.” Random collections of photos that aren’t too curated or edited, and Instagram´s latest trend.
Every week, I spent a couple of minutes trying to rid my Explore page free of these intentionally disorganized collections of images that aimed to present a carefully crafted “vibe.” I wanted to see paintings, photographs, and illustrations. I wanted to be inspired when scrolling. I wanted to discover the people behind thoughtful visual work.
All those things were there, but sadly, the algorithm didn’t work to my advantage. They appear less and less in my feed, only to be replaced by photo dumps.
Every time I opened the app, I could feel the chaos and desperation through the screen, like a crowded market buzzing with vendors’ voices, each shouting to be heard above the rest.
So, that Sunday, June 23rd, I deleted the app from my phone. Never to return. Surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult. I never missed Instagram or wished I could log in. The absence of constant visual noise was liberating, allowing me to focus on searching for genuine artistic creations elsewhere.
Instagram’s transformation from a medium of curated visual artistry into a space for performative chaos shows our cultural shift towards overstimulation. This change has left visual artists without a proper home, forcing them to seek new spaces prioritizing art over the current illusion of authenticity.
If it’s not Instagram, what platform will host the future of visual arts?
The battle between artistic integrity and algorithmic success
Before quitting Instagram, I tried shaping my experience on the platform by liking what I considered to be beautiful images and paintings and tapping “Not interested” in photo dumps and nonsense, but they still conquered my Explore page.
“At first glance, they seemed to be chaotic jumbles, but the collections of images often conveyed an overall atmosphere –a vibe– by way of juxtaposition, with the disparate scenes cohering like the elements of a collage.”1
Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and views, transforming the platform from a space for visual expression into one optimized for volume and quick consumption.
Carousel posts –those with multiple images, such as dumps– receive 1.4 times more reach and 3.1 times more engagement than single-image posts2. This disadvantages artists who post fewer, higher-quality pieces, sometimes forcing them to compromise their work to remain seen and diluting their creativity to meet engagement demands.
A numbers-driven approach has replaced authentic creativity, and the pressure to conform to performative trends compromises artistic integrity. Artists and those who want to see art, such as myself, are at the losing end.
Can artistic expression survive in an ecosystem driven by fleeting attention and clicks? When the algorithm values chaos, where does that leave art?
Drowning in a sea of clutter.
Instagram isn’t the problem–we are
It’s easy to view Instagram’s transformation into a dumping ground as a failure of the platform itself, but the truth is that Instagram’s shift is merely a reflection of where we are as a society. The rise of chaotic, low-effort content mirrors a cultural movement toward overstimulation and fleeting attention spans.
As we seek instant gratification in all areas of life, from media consumption to social interaction, platforms like Instagram respond by promoting the kind of content that keeps us engaged–regardless of its artistic or narrative value.
Curated chaos has become the norm and comes at the expense of actual artistic expression. The flood of photo dumps and performative imperfection drowns out carefully crafted visual art, leaving little room for genuine creativity to flourish. This shift not only affects the platform but also shapes our perception of what constitutes art in the digital age.
If we want to reclaim spaces for true artistic expression, we need to look beyond social media platforms and reconsider how we interact with content. The future of visual artistry won’t be saved by a new app; it will be saved by a cultural shift that values storytelling, craftsmanship, and genuine connection over algorithms and metrics.
Ultimately, the real question is: how do we, as a society, define art in an era dominated by performative chaos and curated imperfection? If we can answer that, we may know where artists belong.
–Catalina
What is a Photo Dump and Why Should Marketers Care?, Hootsuite (2022)
Beautifully written! I flowed through the essay very easily. You know, I think, like all trends, there will be a return to artistic posts on IG. More and more people will grow tired of the performative imperfection and start to craft things more artistically. How long it will take, I've no idea. But then we will still have the problem of "performative." Just in a different flavor.