I started doing it purely for fun and intrisic interest. Instgram slowly shifted my motivation to something that aligns more with their goals without me realizing.
Did Instagram shift it, or did you?
> What I didn’t know was that for each new like and follow, a little dopamine was sent out into my brain. Every little bit of attention was a hit of a drug I didn't know about. After a while, you get used to it—wanting more and setting ever higher standards for yourself.
The line between agency and no agency is quite blurry. But I would say keeping up a pretense of agency is useful, even if only fictional.
In any case, I hope you can get back to photography and truly enjoy it. One suggestion is to see if there are local photography groups in your area, or groups for things you like to photograph (i.e. birds, etc.). These can offer great close-knit environments to share your photography and get constructive feedback, and to enjoy the photography of people you can have a connection with. Trying to get random strangers to tap a heart next to your photos is a soul-less pursuit.