A decade and a half after redefining creativity online, Instagram’s newest award highlights its biggest contradiction — it celebrates creators but rarely sustains them.
Fifteen years ago, Instagram was just a simple photo-sharing app built on one powerful insight: People wanted to show, not just tell.
Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger stripped down their first project, Burbn, to focus on that one instinct — capturing and sharing life’s moments instantly. It worked. By the time Facebook bought the company for $1 billion in 2012, Instagram had already changed how people expressed identity and consumed culture.
But as Instagram turns 15, the celebration feels complicated. What started as a creative playground has become a corporate machine — one where creators fight the algorithm, audiences are harder to reach, and monetization is a moving target. The app that once rewarded creativity now prioritizes consistency and virality, rewarding those who post often, not necessarily those who post best.
Over the years, Instagram’s evolution has mirrored every digital trend. Video arrived in 2013. Stories reshaped the platform in 2016. Reels took over in 2020, signaling Instagram’s pivot to short-form video. Each shift kept the app relevant, but also chipped away at its soul. The chronological feed disappeared. Discovery became algorithm-driven. And creators — once the platform’s beating heart — often feel like they’re creating for a machine, not a community.
That’s why Instagram’s latest announcement feels both timely and ironic. This week, the company introduced Rings, a new award celebrating creators who take bold creative risks and push culture forward. Winners will receive a physical and digital ring, the latter appearing as a gold halo around their profile photo. The judging panel is stacked with creative heavyweights, including Spike Lee, Marc Jacobs, Grace Wales Bonner, Pat McGrath, MKBHD, Yara Shahidi, Cédric Grolet, and Instagram head Adam Mosseri.
It’s a beautiful idea. But it also underscores the gap between celebration and compensation. Over the past year, Instagram has sunset key creator programs like Reels Bonuses and in-app shopping tools, leaving many questioning how the platform actually supports the very people it’s honoring.
Fifteen years later, Instagram is still where trends are born, where brands build identity, and where creativity thrives, but often without the pay to match. Rings may spotlight creative courage, but real progress will mean investing in it.
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