VSCO is a mobile photography app on which users can capture, edit and share photos using pre-set filters and effects. VSCO also allows users to post pictures to their gallery and curate a collection of their favorite pictures — but much of VSCO’s value lies in what features the app doesn’t offer.
Unlike seemingly similar apps like Instagram, the lack of likes, followers or comments fosters authenticity in VSCO’s community and discourages users from comparing themselves to others.
“Our mission is to help everybody fall in love with their own creativity,” VSCO’s website states.
This inviting atmosphere draws in users like Atlanta photographer Deiera Washington, aka Jasper, who VSCO recently featured in a VSCO journal. Washington feels that she can be herself and express her creativity without fear of judgment on the app.
“[The VSCO app] helps make me more confident to put my work out there because there is no concern of if someone will like it or not,” Washington said. “I know people see it, and that’s what matters to me.”
VSCO was founded in 2011 and has not ever implemented likes, comments or follower counts. Instagram stated in 2019 that it would begin to hide users’ like counts from other users, following in VSCO’s footsteps.
“VSCO … hasn’t had comments from the start, hasn’t had like counts, hasn’t had follower counts. As [people] use and experiment with new technology and new platforms, they’re becoming more aware of the impact it has on their lives,” Allison Swope, VP of Product for VSCO, said in an interview with PCMag.
Without standard interactive features available on other apps like ‘likes,’ the creative community on VSCO does not lie silent — in fact, it thrives. Users share ideas and encourage one another without comparing themselves.
“I think the VSCO community is mainly just about exchanging inspiration and appreciation for one another’s art,” Washington said. “I’m also constantly inspired by the other photographers’ work I see displayed, [and it] reminds me to keep pushing to be unique so I can stand out.”
Washington’s work primarily consists of portraits, edited with VSCO’s array of filters and effects. Her photographs are works of art, but she sees her subjects as works of art, too.
“Women have so much range, and it is one of the most beautiful things to see,” Washington said. “We become the embodiment of art just by the ways we express ourselves, whether it be as simple as switching up our look, getting a new hairstyle or just overall embracing and owning our femininity.”
Washington’s identity as a Black woman is also a driving force behind her work and inspires her to share it on VSCO.
“Not long ago, it was very rare to see a Black woman take on the role of a photographer, [But] now, we see an uprising of very Black talented women in the creative industry, finally getting the recognition they deserve and being role models to young girls like me,” Washington said. “I’d like to become that role model.”
