The Gear Bubble Has Burst

Photography (and videography) went through an amazing growth period in the mid-2010’s. Especially with the popularity of platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Plus the prospect of becoming an influencer as a viable career option. This lead to the rise in popularity of various channels centered around photography and video. Blogs, YouTube Channels, entire websites centered around these disciplines saw large amounts of traffic for a good 3-5 years. All of which pushed gear, luts, workshops, tutorials, etc. But mainly gear for that sweet, sweet affiliate revenue.

The niche was red hot.

Now? Not so much.

DPReview almost shuttered for good last year. Various YouTubers have called it a day. Photography blogs aren’t what they once were. And even the actual camera companies aren’t producing a ton of gear as in years past. They see the writing on the wall and they’re in the act of course correcting. Which has also resulted in gear rumor websites declining because they have nothing new and exciting to report on at a high enough frequency.

I’ve noticed some of the channels I use to keep up with have become somewhat of a ghost town in the comment sections. Views are down across the board and I’m sure they’re feeling the pinch if all their eggs were in this basket.

The industry is declining and the “Gear Bubble” has burst. And with it, you’ll notice a steep decline in interest in the art form. Not to mention the rise of A.I. and other disruptive technologies. Some avenues such as becoming an influencer or YouTube content creator aren’t as commercially viable anymore with drastic changes to algorithms that impact growth on said platforms. You can be posting everyday, using catchy titles, commenting on other people’s post and see little to no growth. But big brands, i.e., corporations, see huge growth on the platforms. The social networks have sold out. They no longer care for the small content creator and instead want the big bucks and prestige associate with large brands.

So people are throwing their hands up and looking elsewhere for the next gold rush.

As for gear related content in the photography niche, the party’s over guys. You’ll actually have to generate interest in your art or other endeavors. But sadly, most of the audiences that follow this niche aren’t interested in that. They just want to know which lens is better than the one they already have. Or if Sony is better than Canon. They were never in it for an interest in you or your work, just the gear. And now that that’s dead, your channel probably is too.

Sad, that.