Last month, Flickr announced a new set of rules that state that it’s only a place for 18+ old photographers to be able to share images and join the community. I’m not sure how they’re enforcing this, but I can tell you for certain that this helps to make it one of the better communities for photographers around. I can start with the fact that I can scroll past images and won’t get randomly poked to check out some other thing that they think I may be interested in. Seriously, I’m long over internet algorithms feeling like a golden retriever puppy with its attention split on a million things at once.
Yes, I’m talking about Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and even Reddit these days. In fact, I took the Reddit app off my phone and I only browse the mobile website these days. I also sometimes do the same thing for YouTube.
Flickr is a pretty unique place. It’s been around for a long time and they never really strayed away from their core value of being a place for photographers to share their work and geek out about their own hobbies and stuff. It’s the place for quiet meditation on images instead of a place where you’re supposed to endlessly scroll. That means that it’s easy to take a break from it when needed.
My only hope now is that people don’t take Flickr’s new rules in the wrong way to think that it’s just a place for NSFW photography. There are lots of incredible landscapes, people, events, streets, etc., to work on there.
Let’s also be frank here, anyone under the age of 18 at this point has grown up only in a world with social media and really doesn’t understand the big difference between what it is to be a photographer vs a content creator. The world needs a place for more photos-only. I don’t want to watch reels about photographers pretending to shoot. I want to see good photography instead.
Down with the attention economy, and in with the wholesome and organic photography that we’ve craved for a long time. Some places and things really should just be for adults. And in this case, I’m pretty sure that grown children won’t pay any attention to Flickr.
They know who they are.