A Question for You…
Do you ever feel like you're spinning your wheels, going nowhere?
A few months ago I was checking the Meta app to see if I had any comments on a recent Instagram post.
I did!
And shock of shocks, it was from a real human!
Usually comments consisted of spam, nefarious links, or obvious “engagement bait” from bots or Social Media Assistants hired to comment indiscriminately on behalf of some aspiring profile.
This actual human didn’t reference the image shared, instead she mentioned a long-ago blog post that she’d discovered on Pinterest.
Years earlier, I had written about the economy of attention, how social media is turning us into a commodity, our attention being bought and sold in an algorithm designed to create addiction, and this without our full awareness or consent.
And I shared that I was leaving Instagram.
She commented about how inspired she was by the post, then added, “But here you are…”
…back on Instagram.
I laughed it off, replied with an excuse like “my editor makes me do it,” and explained that I’m not really “back” — I don’t even have the app on my phone!
While both those things were true (I was posting only for marketing and I didn’t use the app), she was right. I had not actually left Instagram. Though I didn’t use it in the way I once did, I was still using it.
And I was still — perhaps more — unhappy about it. In some ways I disliked Instagram even more now because I resented the pressure to perform, the frustration of metrics that were always disappointing, and the constant mental distraction.
In coming weeks I couldn’t help but ask myself, How did I get here?
How indeed! Find the rest of my story below. Plus discover how I left Instagram for real, but without leaving Instagram. 🤔
After reading 👆 pop back over here for more recent posts, top picks for the start of spring, and for a Little Bit of Christmas (because it's never too early for Christmas). And Thank You for walking this road with me!
Rebecca
