I’m so glad I stumbled upon this. I’m currently in that phase where I’m ready to let Instagram go for good. I tried to power through, thinking I could somehow overcome the enshittification of the platform, but it’s just not worth it anymore. My energy is best spent elsewhere, and when I think about not existing in that space anymore, I just feel relief. Thank you for your words & wisdom! <3
Thanks for sharing this! I agree, it really hasn't felt worth it for many of us. If you haven't listened already, the Off The Grid podcast has a lot of great resources and episodes for people who are ready to pivot off of the app. I'm finding several good writers here on Substack writing about it too! Best of luck ♡ You've got this.
I love this and hope it becomes more of the norm. So many artists feel the pressure to remain online to network, for inspiration, for relevancy. I get it!! But it's so zapping for creativity, for uniqueness, for the things that make up a true artist. You're incredible Kristen.
Loved reading your post - gave me a lot of food for thoughts. I stopped posting on IG about a year ago but still log onto it everyday - it’s hard to detach from that “addiction” despite being pushed more sponsored content than anything from the people I follow. There is this exodus of artists and creators but I think because most people are unsure where else to go, it’s hard to fully disconnect. I really resonated with your thoughts on going back to the community you already have, doing things more locally, etc to sustain your creative business, perhaps this is something more artists (myself included) should focus on going forward, rather than solely relying on socials to bring business!
Love the soup analogy so much. "Also every time you eat it now you might have to give $1 to a billionaire on accident or something" - chefs kiss. I've been contemplating leaving IG for a while and the time even *thinking* about leaving is such a waste. Thanks for sharing your experience
So much to say! Firstly, I used to sell your work at my store- so funny to stumble upon you randomly here (also proof that our people will find us!).
Letting go of my socials has been on my mind a lot lately, the only reason I cling to it a bit is the fact I moved cross country 2 years ago and am slowly rebuilding a network and defining my new career. Being so dependent on social to “get myself out there” for so long has left me wrongly feeling like there’s no other way to do it without having a physical location to draw folks in.
Like you, I long for the days of newsletters and emails. Longer form content that felt more like a mini magazine.
We’re all just so tired and no longer willing to mindlessly shovel coal into the engine of social at the expense of our creative vitality.
Oh my goodness, I love this! I'm glad you found me on here too ◡̈
I totally get it. The only experience I have is being on IG with a business for 10+ years, but not starting a new business or moving! I agree, we are all very tired and burned from all of it..
I love this. I am moving away from it at the end of this month and I’ve been preparing to do this for a while now. My focus is the same - long form content and being findable in other ways. Thanks for sharing
Loved every word of this! You just elaborated with such clarity all the stuff I'm worried about when it comes to leaving that app. I deleted twitter once years ago, then went back to it for a few years, then deleted it again. Same for Instagram, which I'm logging off for good in the new year.
In the meantime I also worked as content creator and strategist and saw both sides of the coin: unless you can dedicate yourself/your marketing budget to posting highly planned and relevant content around the 4-5 times a week mark, you'll get little to no returns. It's not sustainable. And if you do it all on your own, it's also unhealthy.
Yes, some people have managed to turned a mom and pop shop into a chain, or a love for illustration into an international brand through Instagram and TikTok, but we never hear of all of those who didn't make it or who maybe suffered years of poor mental health because of these apps.
I trust this exodus will make it into history books, and I'm both terrified and excited to see what's coming next.
Yes, yes, YES. I love this piece. I deleted my insta about a week ago. I deleted without announcement and do not regret it. I had to deactivate my account so that I did not feel temptation to login via browser (which I do every time I just delete the app).
I therefore loved what you said about moderation. I truly wish I could be moderate with this stuff, but I can’t. Instagram is like catnip to people like me: curious, people-loving, expressive, creative. Aaand obsessive/compulsive. But, like you say, it was becoming an abusive relationship. I loved what you said about it creating a kind of anxious attachment. This is exactly how it feels.
I also appreciated what you said about grief. I too grieve the early internet and early versions of these apps (I wrote a piece on here about grief for ‘simpler times’, which is a bit embarrassing to admit but true nonetheless), and the new, exciting modes of communication they represented. But what I grieve even more, is the time I wasted not being present in my own life because I was too busy selling my attention to Zuckerberg & co.
Thank you for writing about this: I hope it gives many others the courage to leave.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful post! You put words to a lot of the things I'm working through right now, having just walked away from social media last week for all of these same reasons. I hated creating through the lens of -where will this fit, content wise- and also the feeling of having so many micro conversations happening in my head all the time. I think we're at an inflection point with social media and I hope we see a mass exodus from these harmful platforms. To where? Who knows! Finding out is part of the fun.
I have been off of Instagram since May and I feel it all! I miss what it used to be but as a result of what it is today I am now going back out into the world and connecting with humans face to face.
an interesting read ! as a creative often flip flopping between true disinterest and a kind of hope for the playfulness that instagram used to offer, it's definitely made me think. as artists we're told that following the algorithms impossible rules is the price that you pay for the opportunity to connect people with your art, but that just doesn't sit right with me. i've never been able to force the way i share what i do and in these kinds of contexts i'm glad of that, even though i still fight the idea that i'm not taking advantage of opportunities in my career ! i wonder what kind of new information and research could come about our use of social media in the next years...
Thank you for sharing this thoughtful piece! I deleted my socials several years ago for 6 months before recreating them. I’ve always loved social media for the space it offers to share from the heart and feel seen, but so much of that has been lost even in the last couple years. After I lost all my followers from deleting the first time, it made me realize how much my sense of self worth comes from the number of people following me. I’m now considering deleting them again and investing my time and energy into spaces like this. Thanks again!
So happy to have come across this piece Kristen. I have had a love hate relationship with IG for a while now. As an artist, I have found social media to be such a time suck that zaps the life right out of me. I don’t want to spend time creating content that never truly is seen by my followers. I have significantly cut back my time on that platform and am focused on IRL connections. It has had a huge impact on my well being. Thank you for giving me the inspiration to leave that platform for good. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
OH MY GOD I loved this so much. I’ve been in the push and pull dance with instagram (as someone whose business comes mostly from instagram) and this was so helpful for me in seeing what is beyond the seemingly impossible breakup. This has inspired me to finally leave next year, thank you.
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this. I’m currently in that phase where I’m ready to let Instagram go for good. I tried to power through, thinking I could somehow overcome the enshittification of the platform, but it’s just not worth it anymore. My energy is best spent elsewhere, and when I think about not existing in that space anymore, I just feel relief. Thank you for your words & wisdom! <3
Thanks for sharing this! I agree, it really hasn't felt worth it for many of us. If you haven't listened already, the Off The Grid podcast has a lot of great resources and episodes for people who are ready to pivot off of the app. I'm finding several good writers here on Substack writing about it too! Best of luck ♡ You've got this.
I love this and hope it becomes more of the norm. So many artists feel the pressure to remain online to network, for inspiration, for relevancy. I get it!! But it's so zapping for creativity, for uniqueness, for the things that make up a true artist. You're incredible Kristen.
Thank you for saying that. I am starting to feel like it really is headed toward being the norm.
Loved reading your post - gave me a lot of food for thoughts. I stopped posting on IG about a year ago but still log onto it everyday - it’s hard to detach from that “addiction” despite being pushed more sponsored content than anything from the people I follow. There is this exodus of artists and creators but I think because most people are unsure where else to go, it’s hard to fully disconnect. I really resonated with your thoughts on going back to the community you already have, doing things more locally, etc to sustain your creative business, perhaps this is something more artists (myself included) should focus on going forward, rather than solely relying on socials to bring business!
Love the soup analogy so much. "Also every time you eat it now you might have to give $1 to a billionaire on accident or something" - chefs kiss. I've been contemplating leaving IG for a while and the time even *thinking* about leaving is such a waste. Thanks for sharing your experience
So much to say! Firstly, I used to sell your work at my store- so funny to stumble upon you randomly here (also proof that our people will find us!).
Letting go of my socials has been on my mind a lot lately, the only reason I cling to it a bit is the fact I moved cross country 2 years ago and am slowly rebuilding a network and defining my new career. Being so dependent on social to “get myself out there” for so long has left me wrongly feeling like there’s no other way to do it without having a physical location to draw folks in.
Like you, I long for the days of newsletters and emails. Longer form content that felt more like a mini magazine.
We’re all just so tired and no longer willing to mindlessly shovel coal into the engine of social at the expense of our creative vitality.
❤️❤️❤️
Oh my goodness, I love this! I'm glad you found me on here too ◡̈
I totally get it. The only experience I have is being on IG with a business for 10+ years, but not starting a new business or moving! I agree, we are all very tired and burned from all of it..
A wonderful contemplative read. Thank you for the spacious gift of your reflections. I’ll be turning this over in my heart and mind 💜
I love this. I am moving away from it at the end of this month and I’ve been preparing to do this for a while now. My focus is the same - long form content and being findable in other ways. Thanks for sharing
Loved every word of this! You just elaborated with such clarity all the stuff I'm worried about when it comes to leaving that app. I deleted twitter once years ago, then went back to it for a few years, then deleted it again. Same for Instagram, which I'm logging off for good in the new year.
In the meantime I also worked as content creator and strategist and saw both sides of the coin: unless you can dedicate yourself/your marketing budget to posting highly planned and relevant content around the 4-5 times a week mark, you'll get little to no returns. It's not sustainable. And if you do it all on your own, it's also unhealthy.
Yes, some people have managed to turned a mom and pop shop into a chain, or a love for illustration into an international brand through Instagram and TikTok, but we never hear of all of those who didn't make it or who maybe suffered years of poor mental health because of these apps.
I trust this exodus will make it into history books, and I'm both terrified and excited to see what's coming next.
Yes! I think this is big enough for history books too. Well put, all of this!
Yes, yes, YES. I love this piece. I deleted my insta about a week ago. I deleted without announcement and do not regret it. I had to deactivate my account so that I did not feel temptation to login via browser (which I do every time I just delete the app).
I therefore loved what you said about moderation. I truly wish I could be moderate with this stuff, but I can’t. Instagram is like catnip to people like me: curious, people-loving, expressive, creative. Aaand obsessive/compulsive. But, like you say, it was becoming an abusive relationship. I loved what you said about it creating a kind of anxious attachment. This is exactly how it feels.
I also appreciated what you said about grief. I too grieve the early internet and early versions of these apps (I wrote a piece on here about grief for ‘simpler times’, which is a bit embarrassing to admit but true nonetheless), and the new, exciting modes of communication they represented. But what I grieve even more, is the time I wasted not being present in my own life because I was too busy selling my attention to Zuckerberg & co.
Thank you for writing about this: I hope it gives many others the courage to leave.
Thank you for sharing this Lena! I hope your time off of insta brings you much centeredness. You've got this!!!
Thank you so much for this thoughtful post! You put words to a lot of the things I'm working through right now, having just walked away from social media last week for all of these same reasons. I hated creating through the lens of -where will this fit, content wise- and also the feeling of having so many micro conversations happening in my head all the time. I think we're at an inflection point with social media and I hope we see a mass exodus from these harmful platforms. To where? Who knows! Finding out is part of the fun.
I'm so glad this resonated! I agree, and I think a lot of people really are leaving because they are fed up. Thanks for sharing!
I have been off of Instagram since May and I feel it all! I miss what it used to be but as a result of what it is today I am now going back out into the world and connecting with humans face to face.
Yes! Beautiful!
an interesting read ! as a creative often flip flopping between true disinterest and a kind of hope for the playfulness that instagram used to offer, it's definitely made me think. as artists we're told that following the algorithms impossible rules is the price that you pay for the opportunity to connect people with your art, but that just doesn't sit right with me. i've never been able to force the way i share what i do and in these kinds of contexts i'm glad of that, even though i still fight the idea that i'm not taking advantage of opportunities in my career ! i wonder what kind of new information and research could come about our use of social media in the next years...
Very cool and I feel very similar! I haven’t made a strict exit but I have definitely drifted away from Insta, for all the reasons you list.
And I need to make soup now ⭐️
Thank you for sharing this thoughtful piece! I deleted my socials several years ago for 6 months before recreating them. I’ve always loved social media for the space it offers to share from the heart and feel seen, but so much of that has been lost even in the last couple years. After I lost all my followers from deleting the first time, it made me realize how much my sense of self worth comes from the number of people following me. I’m now considering deleting them again and investing my time and energy into spaces like this. Thanks again!
So happy to have come across this piece Kristen. I have had a love hate relationship with IG for a while now. As an artist, I have found social media to be such a time suck that zaps the life right out of me. I don’t want to spend time creating content that never truly is seen by my followers. I have significantly cut back my time on that platform and am focused on IRL connections. It has had a huge impact on my well being. Thank you for giving me the inspiration to leave that platform for good. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
OH MY GOD I loved this so much. I’ve been in the push and pull dance with instagram (as someone whose business comes mostly from instagram) and this was so helpful for me in seeing what is beyond the seemingly impossible breakup. This has inspired me to finally leave next year, thank you.