Yes. All of this. I've worked hard to build a following for my Scythe and Pen account, but since 2020, my content just falls into a deep dark hole. No one sees it; it doesn't show up in the algorithim. I don't even show up in hashtags! And I swear I think it's because some bot labeled me as "problematic" because I dared to speak out against the government. At the same time, social is a great tool for marketing a product (like my book) and is a big incentive for publishers now. But in reality... it's a soul sucking device that squashes orignality and creativity. I'm trying to distance myself, but at the same time, I feel like I'm swimming against a whitewater current.
This is so relatable. I think the same thing happened to me when I started speaking up against covid tyranny. Suppression is one of the ways they try to make you jump through their conformity hoops, but hey, I'm not about to sell my soul for some likes on an app. Heh. It definitely makes marketing more challenging and exhausting, which is why I decided to just leave the platform until I have something to actively market, since that's about all its good for anymore. It's sad because I feel like IG used to be genuinely enjoyable and creative. But it just...isn't all that now.
Insightful as always, Emily. Completely recognise all you’ve said in my own experiences. It makes me really sad because I used to find Instagram in particular a really creatively enriching place to be! But the sheer amount of sponsored and ‘suggested’ content, plus the algorithm conformity that has forced creators to change what and how they post, has really sucked so much joy out of that space. Drives me nuts to have every app now trying to tell me what I want to see. No, apps. I know what I want to see and you’re stopping me from seeing it!!
Glad you’ve found another space to create meaningful content. I always enjoy your writing.
Yes, I used to feel the same way about IG. It used to be a wholesome, joyful platform before the algorithm and attempts to copycat TikTok, epitome of cringe. Very sad.
Though I'm not a "creative" as such, I've definitely felt the mind-numbing drain of the IG rabbit hole. At first I just limited my use because I was wasting too much time on it, time that needed to be spent on other things, and even now, occasionally getting on to check on a friend's recent posts can still be good and fun. Muting the posts and stories of anyone I usually skip over has been helpful as well - it recreates a sense of actually wanting to *see* everything that my friends have posted. But any length of scrolling, and you're so right: "It's like trying to watch a show that gets interrupted every five minutes with twenty minutes of ads. It's impossible to concentrate. You can literally feel your attention span eroding as you scroll..." Reading those words finally put into words why "getting on Instagram" leaves me depressed instead of invigorated - and for once, it has nothing to do with Comparison Syndrome. It's just plain ol' shallow meaninglessness.
Yes! I feel like it's easy to blame "comparisonism" and that is certainly a toxic trait of social media, but there's so much more to it than that. Deeper, more subtle evils.
This was a great article. I was thinking about creative people I know, and they often seem frankly zoned out. However, teachers and other adults always seem insulted when some student is zoned out. I think there’s something to the idea of creativity out of boredom and the tedious nature of real life. Tracking how much time on the phone from Screen Time tracking is alarming. It flies by without memory. When I used to browse Twitter, I would connect momentarily with the post and then actually forget most of it so that it was just a general feeling.
So, I decided to stay on Instagram for now, but I started a new account just to share Dostoyevsky quotes and create accountability to actually read more of his books. And I also recently adjusted my screen time settings on my phone to allow for less time on social media per day so that I know how much time I'm actually spending on there and don't waste time. I follow several accounts that are informative for healing trauma and often they are helpful for me, and I don't want to delete instagram completely for that.
But we'll see. At some point I may up and delete it.
Yes. All of this. I've worked hard to build a following for my Scythe and Pen account, but since 2020, my content just falls into a deep dark hole. No one sees it; it doesn't show up in the algorithim. I don't even show up in hashtags! And I swear I think it's because some bot labeled me as "problematic" because I dared to speak out against the government. At the same time, social is a great tool for marketing a product (like my book) and is a big incentive for publishers now. But in reality... it's a soul sucking device that squashes orignality and creativity. I'm trying to distance myself, but at the same time, I feel like I'm swimming against a whitewater current.
This is so relatable. I think the same thing happened to me when I started speaking up against covid tyranny. Suppression is one of the ways they try to make you jump through their conformity hoops, but hey, I'm not about to sell my soul for some likes on an app. Heh. It definitely makes marketing more challenging and exhausting, which is why I decided to just leave the platform until I have something to actively market, since that's about all its good for anymore. It's sad because I feel like IG used to be genuinely enjoyable and creative. But it just...isn't all that now.
Insightful as always, Emily. Completely recognise all you’ve said in my own experiences. It makes me really sad because I used to find Instagram in particular a really creatively enriching place to be! But the sheer amount of sponsored and ‘suggested’ content, plus the algorithm conformity that has forced creators to change what and how they post, has really sucked so much joy out of that space. Drives me nuts to have every app now trying to tell me what I want to see. No, apps. I know what I want to see and you’re stopping me from seeing it!!
Glad you’ve found another space to create meaningful content. I always enjoy your writing.
Thank you! I appreciate it. ❤️
Yes, I used to feel the same way about IG. It used to be a wholesome, joyful platform before the algorithm and attempts to copycat TikTok, epitome of cringe. Very sad.
Though I'm not a "creative" as such, I've definitely felt the mind-numbing drain of the IG rabbit hole. At first I just limited my use because I was wasting too much time on it, time that needed to be spent on other things, and even now, occasionally getting on to check on a friend's recent posts can still be good and fun. Muting the posts and stories of anyone I usually skip over has been helpful as well - it recreates a sense of actually wanting to *see* everything that my friends have posted. But any length of scrolling, and you're so right: "It's like trying to watch a show that gets interrupted every five minutes with twenty minutes of ads. It's impossible to concentrate. You can literally feel your attention span eroding as you scroll..." Reading those words finally put into words why "getting on Instagram" leaves me depressed instead of invigorated - and for once, it has nothing to do with Comparison Syndrome. It's just plain ol' shallow meaninglessness.
Thank you for sharing your insights, Emily!!
Yes! I feel like it's easy to blame "comparisonism" and that is certainly a toxic trait of social media, but there's so much more to it than that. Deeper, more subtle evils.
This was a great article. I was thinking about creative people I know, and they often seem frankly zoned out. However, teachers and other adults always seem insulted when some student is zoned out. I think there’s something to the idea of creativity out of boredom and the tedious nature of real life. Tracking how much time on the phone from Screen Time tracking is alarming. It flies by without memory. When I used to browse Twitter, I would connect momentarily with the post and then actually forget most of it so that it was just a general feeling.
So, I decided to stay on Instagram for now, but I started a new account just to share Dostoyevsky quotes and create accountability to actually read more of his books. And I also recently adjusted my screen time settings on my phone to allow for less time on social media per day so that I know how much time I'm actually spending on there and don't waste time. I follow several accounts that are informative for healing trauma and often they are helpful for me, and I don't want to delete instagram completely for that.
But we'll see. At some point I may up and delete it.