u/CommercialMatch5183

I’ve been running my main Instagram page for almost 2 years. Around 52k followers right now. Reach has been slowly getting worse for months but I kept assuming it was just content fatigue or algorithm changes.

Then I made a completely fresh account to test something.

No followers, no history, no polished content, and somehow the first few reels instantly started reaching more non followers than my main account has lately.

That’s the part I can’t understand.

My old account has way more engagement history, saves, shares, everything. But it feels like Instagram pushes the new account harder while the older one gets buried.

Now I genuinely can’t tell if older accounts slowly lose favor over time or if Instagram just prioritizes freshness.

Anyone else notice newer Instagram accounts performing weirdly better than established pages recently?

Around 80% of my reach used to come from non followers. Reels weren’t exploding or anything, but growth was steady and I was gaining followers daily.

Then out of nowhere everything changed this month.

Now almost every reel gets stuck around 1k–2k views and insights show barely any non follower reach anymore. Engagement from existing followers is still normal which makes this even more confusing.

I checked account status and it says everything is fine. No violations, no warnings, nothing restricted.

Support replies are just generic automated messages telling me to “keep creating original content” which honestly doesn’t answer anything.

Feels like the account got silently limited without actually being flagged.

Anyone else dealing with Instagram reach randomly collapsing even when account status looks clean?

Would you like to subscribe to breathing premium for $9.99/month?

Some creators spend years building genuine knowledge or talent, while others grow fast mainly because they understand trends, presentation, and audience psychology. On social media, attention often wins over expertise. Do you think modern platforms reward actual skill or just the ability to stay visible?

No warning. No strikes. No explanation.

First my reach dropped 90% overnight. Thought it was a glitch. Kept posting. Kept engaging. Nothing changed.

Then the account got restricted. Appeals went nowhere. Every response was automated.

What hurt the most wasn't losing the followers. It was realizing I had spent 3 years building on land I didn't own.

We grew up with social media as a place to hang out and share life. Now it feels crowded, stressful, and more about keeping up than connecting.

Is it burnout? Or just the natural shift as we get older and priorities change?

What made you stick around - or decide to step back?

Feels like everyone is focused on reels for Instagram growth, but I’ve noticed some creators quietly getting better engagement from carousels lately. The weird part is that carousel posts seem to bring more saves and actual discussion even if the reach numbers are smaller. I’m wondering if people are sleeping on them because reels get more attention publicly. Have any of you seen better audience quality or follower conversion from carousels compared to reels recently, or is reels still dominating for most creators?