The Instagram Infographic Industrial Complex

The way we were

A strong resurgence in modern-day civil rights with the Black Lives Matter movement. Generation Z coming into their own as socially aware, outspoken teens and adults. The tragedy of experiencing a pandemic mixed with the absurdity of spending all our time indoors and online. There’s only one period of time we could be talking about: the summer of 2020.

Unlike many years prior, this summer led to countless people flocking to social media as a safer way to show their support and solidarity for the protests taking place nationwide. Known also as “PowerPoint Activism, ” “slacktivism” or “bite-sized activism,” heavily-designed Instagram carousel posts detailing complex issues became an expected part of any new event or movement taking place online. Even we joined in, as did a number of the largest agencies across the industry.

But by August, the general public was already beginning to move on. School was starting again, the summer heat and the pandemic continued to rage on, and though justice for Black Americans is still being sought to this day, the news cycle was starting to shift their attention elsewhere. That meant we had more time to reflect on the past couple of months, and ask ourselves questions like: did we make a difference? Did these long, informative posts actually work? Let’s parse through the Instagram Infographic Industrial Complex.

When sharing isn’t caring

Instagram creators who were offline activists and BIPOC were able to focus their content around collective action and quick, useful advice based on their experiences and needs. But as people joined the “trend” (and not the actual movements), the focus shifted to undefined "awareness” of issues with no IRL follow-through. Genuinely helpful posts became lost in a sea of sameness. The “call to action” went from protests, reparations or political action to shares, likes and engagement numbers.           

And engage we did. In its best iteration, people like Dom Roberts and Eiselle Ty effectively used interesting design, personal experience, reliable sources and step-by-step topics to reach thousands. The Minnesota Freedom Fund received upwards of $20 million in donations after the murder of George Floyd, “many of them stemming from social media.” As the watering-down occurred, accounts like @So.Informed (previously @SoYouWantToTalkAbout) garnered thousands of likes per post. If surface-level awareness of an issue was the goal, we’ve exceeded expectations. But, at its very worst, the Instagram Infographic Industrial Complex is a reductive game of social justice telephone that further confuses everyone.

After all, when dense posts about political revolution are sandwiched between photos of your friend’s dog and funny videos, how does that change the way we perceive the issue? Where is the line between informing others and making memes that exploit the deaths of Black Americans? Are they important, or are they blending in with sponsored ads from your favorite Instagram shop? Do they actually encourage you to read and take further actions, or are they simply adding noise on top of noise? If you ask Terry Nguyen of Vox, she'd tell you...

There's nothing wrong with using eye-catching design to accompany a strong message. We're no strangers to that ourselves. But many posts fell into the trap of either belittling serious or triggering events, or pairing them with tone-deaf cutesy graphics. On one end of the spectrum, there are accounts pasting huge blocks of well-thought-out arguments onto tiny squares, making the reading experience nearly impossible. And at the other end, you have accounts that sacrifice any nuance for provocative points to make them as shareable as possible. Scattered amongst them all are brands scrambling to show their Zoomer  audience that they care (while ignoring their own negative impact on the world).

Even with the best of intentions, reducing complex issues that affect thousands of real people to the same informational level as a summer sale will not work. So, what does?

Making Instagram posts that actually inform

Here's what we learned after a year of reflection. Spoiler alert: don’t try to do it all on Instagram.

1. Try not to use “infographic” and “Instagram” in the same sentence. There’s a reason that when we say “infographic,” you think “really long, scrolling image with charts, graphs, tables and a story.” True infographics are works of educational art that turn data into purposeful storytelling. Instagram just isn’t built for that type of content, so what’s referred to as “Instagram infographics” are really just carousel posts with information and a strong look and feel. If you want to make an infographic, there are tons of resources online. An Instagram post is a different beast.
2. Start from within. Consider which topics your organization is best suited to speak on before they enter the public debate. There’s no need to jump into the ring if you have nothing valuable to say. Center yourself on your organizational values and be an honest observer of any internal issues. If you’re a B Corp focused on sustainability, you are likely more equipped to discuss climate change than something like racial equity in the workplace.
3. Invite, don’t infodump. Don’t try to squish complex content into a bite-sized world. A ten-frame Instagram carousel is not the ideal venue for a thesis on justice. The multi-faceted, nuanced discourse crafted by experts, activists and researchers simply can’t be boiled down to the same level as the real-time, off-the-cuff hot takes on your Instagram or Twitter feeds. You can start with a blog or true infographic, both spaces that are intended to be long-form content, then use the precious inches of space on social as an invitation to the real deal.
4. Stay focused. The more text you include in one space, the less people will understand. Stick to a singular message, and use the carousel function only when necessary to show a progression, list, or multiple key points. Every piece should be an interconnected nugget of information, and the goal is to lead readers to that long-form content or a single action.
5. Let the message lead. When it comes to advocating for serious issues, the design should follow the message. That doesn’t mean you can’t make it interesting, engaging or on-brand. Just don’t use rainbows, blue skies and curly letters to make a post about police brutality.

Effective online activism doesn’t need to attempt to capture every detail or nuance of the world’s greatest social issues. That’s an uphill battle that nobody wins in the end. When it comes to making a digital impact, focus is everything. A focus on a direct, single message. A focus on the topics that are own-able and relevant to the things you do. A focus on what each platform does best. And most importantly, a focus on action and the potential for change — never vague “awareness” from the comfort of our couches.