That's really sad about you being rejected just because not having an account on Instagram.
We all know that the photographers are often those who appear the least in pictures and so that's a pretty good reason not to be so active on social media other than posting their work.
I have a sister which is an amateur photographer and she's struggling so much right now to make a living from this passion but gets no chances where we are living. It's really sad to see her losing her hope for the beautiful passion she has, even though she does have accounts on social media where she spreads the word of her work.
I know, making a living out of photography can be really hard nowadays. Things were much easier 20-30 years ago (when I did my first steps) but now it is an extremely competitive field. My best wishes to you and your sister!
Indeed. Thank you so much!