I deleted Twitter from my phone (never joined Facebook or Instagram) and I find it easier to dip in on my desktop computer just to see what's going on with a couple of accounts I follow, then leave again, rather than scrolling. I keep toying with deleting the account but I worry about losing contacts. I've got Substack Notes set to 'Following' not 'Explore' and only a couple of people I follow seem to use it, so there's not much draw for me there. I do spend hours a week reading posts on Substack though, mainly from people I subscribe to.
Looking at things on a large screen seems to be a bit more intentional for me as well, at least I'm not looking while I'm waiting in line at the grocery store or brushing my teeth. I still have Instagram on my iPad so I could post, but have very little urge to look. And now I'm even wondering, do I want to contribute to a platform that was clearly making me feel unhappy?
My two cents, as a total stranger, is not to delete the account altogether but to do just what you did: delete it from the phone. I've done the whole "delete all my accounts" thing in the past and then come to regret it and had to start over when I came back.
That's not to say that you'll want to come back or even that you should, but I would only delete the account altogether after giving it a great deal of thought. I'm pretty close to deleting it off my phone too, but I think I'll keep the account around just in case.
I am also detaching from Instagram—it’s too much and no fun anymore (and they’re whole AI steal 😑…) . I open it, see the first post and immediately close it. But I still sometimes post there to catch the folks who don’t want to subscribe to Substack…I love the constraint of Substack but also just don’t have the energy to post to Notes regularly. I have lots of feeling about this, can you tell? 😆
I joined “Mei Social vrij” and delete all social media (except WhatsApp) from my phone. I haven’t gone back came June. It’s different for me since I had no audience. I still spend too much time on my phone (doing what?!) But am less stressed..
I found that deleting the apps from my phone helped. I will occasionally log on desktop but I don’t get sucked into scrolling as long that way. But I do sometimes get sucked into substack on my phone. It feels less toxic but I still feel guilty about spending so much time scrolling.
The best thing to do is rip all the social media apps off one's phone. Especially Facebook and Instagram. You did the right thing. Meta's apps are pernicious addictive tools of reality distortion and privacy invasion. As artists we existed and thrived before the rise of the internet and social media companies by building real communities and connections with clients and supporters. Big Social media companies only offer a false sense of that community and connection. Thankfully Substack is slightly better in that we can all communicate and share here with like minds free from any algorithmic interference.
You make a great point. Over the course of it’s implementation, I suspect that there is an algorithm behind it. I see far less right wing nutjob prattling posts now and more post from folks like yourself whose work I enjoy, which is a good thing…and far less stressful.
We have been discussing this within the comiclab community (everyone is invited) and realized that you can use the available tools for your best wellbeing. For example if you just want to use it as a posting board so whomever reads a couple updates there knows about your next visit or a new project its ok. No longer focus on the growth and post mentality. You can still use it to share about your work and keep all your private information away from it.
The algorithm will always limit your reach so better to remember your fans friends and followers there are better ways to stay in touch, and use the social media as a flyer on a wall who will eventually help with organic growth.
Or not use it at all for a while, theres always a new one coming up and one leaving the spotlight.
That is absolutely true, you can use it without spending too much time there… for me though, the worse I feel, the more I tend to scroll Instagram, making me feel even worse and so on… it keeps sucking me in like that.
I apologize as I didnt mentioned this you just shared, it is a difficult process and we all know its toll. Thats why whenever I start talking about I jump to the good part because we need to remind ourselves that there is a way we can enjoy our day, and there are always people that care, not with a like but with a hug and maybe some pizza. So lets start helping someone and we will help ourselves on the way
My health hasn't been great and I have chronic headaches now and my eyes hurt a lot too and are a lot more sensitive. Instagram is counterproductive, only makes my symptoms worse. I still have the app but I hardly ever open it. Before, I'd spend 2-4 scrolling through it daily. I miss seeing updates from mutuals, but apart from that I don't miss it.
There is a great podcast called “Off the grid: Leaving social media without losing all your clients” that is amazing!
Thank you for sharing, this is one of the main concerns for creators, I would love to hear a bit more (and Ill give it a listen this weekend)
That sounds great, will definitely check it out!
I deleted Twitter from my phone (never joined Facebook or Instagram) and I find it easier to dip in on my desktop computer just to see what's going on with a couple of accounts I follow, then leave again, rather than scrolling. I keep toying with deleting the account but I worry about losing contacts. I've got Substack Notes set to 'Following' not 'Explore' and only a couple of people I follow seem to use it, so there's not much draw for me there. I do spend hours a week reading posts on Substack though, mainly from people I subscribe to.
Looking at things on a large screen seems to be a bit more intentional for me as well, at least I'm not looking while I'm waiting in line at the grocery store or brushing my teeth. I still have Instagram on my iPad so I could post, but have very little urge to look. And now I'm even wondering, do I want to contribute to a platform that was clearly making me feel unhappy?
Well done. I'm detaching more and more from FB and IG. Must say, the interactions on SubStack feel totally different - actually uplifting!
Yes! It feels much more personal. It worries me too though, because FB and Insta felt personal too at first. For now, I’ll just enjoy it!
My two cents, as a total stranger, is not to delete the account altogether but to do just what you did: delete it from the phone. I've done the whole "delete all my accounts" thing in the past and then come to regret it and had to start over when I came back.
That's not to say that you'll want to come back or even that you should, but I would only delete the account altogether after giving it a great deal of thought. I'm pretty close to deleting it off my phone too, but I think I'll keep the account around just in case.
I am also detaching from Instagram—it’s too much and no fun anymore (and they’re whole AI steal 😑…) . I open it, see the first post and immediately close it. But I still sometimes post there to catch the folks who don’t want to subscribe to Substack…I love the constraint of Substack but also just don’t have the energy to post to Notes regularly. I have lots of feeling about this, can you tell? 😆
I've notices that Notes is not addictive enough for me to regularly check it - let alone post myself. Oh the irony!
😆
I joined “Mei Social vrij” and delete all social media (except WhatsApp) from my phone. I haven’t gone back came June. It’s different for me since I had no audience. I still spend too much time on my phone (doing what?!) But am less stressed..
Haha! Love the (doing what?') - so relatable. Sometimes, I pick up my phone, swipe the home pages and put it back down. It's so silly!
I found that deleting the apps from my phone helped. I will occasionally log on desktop but I don’t get sucked into scrolling as long that way. But I do sometimes get sucked into substack on my phone. It feels less toxic but I still feel guilty about spending so much time scrolling.
The best thing to do is rip all the social media apps off one's phone. Especially Facebook and Instagram. You did the right thing. Meta's apps are pernicious addictive tools of reality distortion and privacy invasion. As artists we existed and thrived before the rise of the internet and social media companies by building real communities and connections with clients and supporters. Big Social media companies only offer a false sense of that community and connection. Thankfully Substack is slightly better in that we can all communicate and share here with like minds free from any algorithmic interference.
Yes! Although I wonder if Notes is simply chronological or uses an algorithm?
You make a great point. Over the course of it’s implementation, I suspect that there is an algorithm behind it. I see far less right wing nutjob prattling posts now and more post from folks like yourself whose work I enjoy, which is a good thing…and far less stressful.
We have been discussing this within the comiclab community (everyone is invited) and realized that you can use the available tools for your best wellbeing. For example if you just want to use it as a posting board so whomever reads a couple updates there knows about your next visit or a new project its ok. No longer focus on the growth and post mentality. You can still use it to share about your work and keep all your private information away from it.
The algorithm will always limit your reach so better to remember your fans friends and followers there are better ways to stay in touch, and use the social media as a flyer on a wall who will eventually help with organic growth.
Or not use it at all for a while, theres always a new one coming up and one leaving the spotlight.
That is absolutely true, you can use it without spending too much time there… for me though, the worse I feel, the more I tend to scroll Instagram, making me feel even worse and so on… it keeps sucking me in like that.
I apologize as I didnt mentioned this you just shared, it is a difficult process and we all know its toll. Thats why whenever I start talking about I jump to the good part because we need to remind ourselves that there is a way we can enjoy our day, and there are always people that care, not with a like but with a hug and maybe some pizza. So lets start helping someone and we will help ourselves on the way
My health hasn't been great and I have chronic headaches now and my eyes hurt a lot too and are a lot more sensitive. Instagram is counterproductive, only makes my symptoms worse. I still have the app but I hardly ever open it. Before, I'd spend 2-4 scrolling through it daily. I miss seeing updates from mutuals, but apart from that I don't miss it.