Thanks so much for sharing this Katie. Instagram is a completely different beast here in 2024 than it was when I signed up over ten years ago and it's absolutely wild there now. What you said about seeing wars and trauma with no warning has been tough for me too. In a ten second scroll you can see war footage, a pick a card that you "must watch because it's a message from your guides right now", people murdered, a make-up tutorial, someone sharing their heavy trauma, an ad for wrinkle cream, it's playing with our heads and screwing our nervous systems in so many ways. Like you I have many reasons to stay and many to go. At the moment I am focusing more on posting and creating than scrolling, which also sadly means less connection with the accounts I do really love. I try not to have my phone near and try to time box, all the strategies. Sometimes they really help, other days I notice when I'm already tired or burned out I am so much more susceptible to the scroll, which is of course, the worst time to do it. I don't have any answers really, I just wanted to say thanks for being so honest about where you are on your journey.
I love this Katie. I recall attending one of your workshops a few years back. I am currently exploring a few things about social media. Firstly, what do I want to share with folks that will be of value to them. Secondly, what platforms do I really wish to engage in. The one thing we forget about social media is that it is meant to be 'social' - more about connection with others and less about, 'hey, buy from me'. Sometimes it is hard to find the balance and oh so easy to slip into the 'oh my god I need to get my work out there and be seen.' Loving your posts and gentle reminder of refocusing on what matters.
I've been considering this for a LONG time. And at the end of last year I got off social media (Facebook and instagram, I've never been on TikTok) for four months. I decided to dip my toe back in last month and make a slow return and regret it. There's such an addictive element to it, and it begins to occupy your thoughts even when you're not on the app. I found myself thinking in how I could turn an experience into a piece of content, while the experience was still going on.
I also realized just how much influence social media has on my way of thinking, especially in subtle ways. When I mean subtle, it isn't so much about being influenced to buy the next "must have" or particular item. I'm influenced in the ways of how I view myself, success, others, and this constant need to grow, improve and be more productive, more energetic MORE MORE MORE. It's a subtle but HUGE influence. I didn't realize how deeply ingrained it is until I got off the platform and began to feel more me. I engaged in activities and tried new things based on my interests and curiosities rather than copying something I saw online. I felt more at peace, more present.
And then I went back. Because of some of the reasons you mentioned above, and with a belief that I needed to in order to grow my business. I'm currently working on ways I can permanently get off while still having a successful business (and defining what success means to me). A lot of it will be through in person events and networking (I have a service based business [breathwork] so I can work with established yoga studios and wellness spaces to offer my services and tap into their existing networks). I'll probably focus on an email list, maybe getting on podcasts, and just getting out into my community and attending events and trade shows. It's a lot slower and yet I find it way more meaningful to have one conversation with someone, than to post a reel and get some likes, maybe a few comments or followers which spikes dopamine for a moment but doesn't last.
When I think too of my in person events I have REAL community now. I greet my regulars by name and they greet me back. We chat, we share. It is beautiful.
I also feel like a more interesting person off social media. I read more, I walk and spend time in nature, I attend events, I've developed hobbies! (Like a love for fermentation), I make gifts for friends and family, I host dinner parties. My focus and presence is much higher.
One of the things that really clicked into place for me was when I read the book "Stolen Focus: Why you can't pay attention" by Johann Hari. I see a lot of damage from these platforms. I could go into a long rant about it (and how I've witnessed it not only in myself, but also in the elementary school students I used to teach in my former career). If people had more focus and attention, I think we would be awake to more of what is going on in the world and would do something about it. But that's a discussion for another time.
TL;DR Social media is nuanced and its influence pervasive. It's worth looking at your relationship to it and taking action to change how much it appears in your life, thoughts, and world.
Thanks so much for sharing this Katie. Instagram is a completely different beast here in 2024 than it was when I signed up over ten years ago and it's absolutely wild there now. What you said about seeing wars and trauma with no warning has been tough for me too. In a ten second scroll you can see war footage, a pick a card that you "must watch because it's a message from your guides right now", people murdered, a make-up tutorial, someone sharing their heavy trauma, an ad for wrinkle cream, it's playing with our heads and screwing our nervous systems in so many ways. Like you I have many reasons to stay and many to go. At the moment I am focusing more on posting and creating than scrolling, which also sadly means less connection with the accounts I do really love. I try not to have my phone near and try to time box, all the strategies. Sometimes they really help, other days I notice when I'm already tired or burned out I am so much more susceptible to the scroll, which is of course, the worst time to do it. I don't have any answers really, I just wanted to say thanks for being so honest about where you are on your journey.
I love this Katie. I recall attending one of your workshops a few years back. I am currently exploring a few things about social media. Firstly, what do I want to share with folks that will be of value to them. Secondly, what platforms do I really wish to engage in. The one thing we forget about social media is that it is meant to be 'social' - more about connection with others and less about, 'hey, buy from me'. Sometimes it is hard to find the balance and oh so easy to slip into the 'oh my god I need to get my work out there and be seen.' Loving your posts and gentle reminder of refocusing on what matters.
I've been considering this for a LONG time. And at the end of last year I got off social media (Facebook and instagram, I've never been on TikTok) for four months. I decided to dip my toe back in last month and make a slow return and regret it. There's such an addictive element to it, and it begins to occupy your thoughts even when you're not on the app. I found myself thinking in how I could turn an experience into a piece of content, while the experience was still going on.
I also realized just how much influence social media has on my way of thinking, especially in subtle ways. When I mean subtle, it isn't so much about being influenced to buy the next "must have" or particular item. I'm influenced in the ways of how I view myself, success, others, and this constant need to grow, improve and be more productive, more energetic MORE MORE MORE. It's a subtle but HUGE influence. I didn't realize how deeply ingrained it is until I got off the platform and began to feel more me. I engaged in activities and tried new things based on my interests and curiosities rather than copying something I saw online. I felt more at peace, more present.
And then I went back. Because of some of the reasons you mentioned above, and with a belief that I needed to in order to grow my business. I'm currently working on ways I can permanently get off while still having a successful business (and defining what success means to me). A lot of it will be through in person events and networking (I have a service based business [breathwork] so I can work with established yoga studios and wellness spaces to offer my services and tap into their existing networks). I'll probably focus on an email list, maybe getting on podcasts, and just getting out into my community and attending events and trade shows. It's a lot slower and yet I find it way more meaningful to have one conversation with someone, than to post a reel and get some likes, maybe a few comments or followers which spikes dopamine for a moment but doesn't last.
When I think too of my in person events I have REAL community now. I greet my regulars by name and they greet me back. We chat, we share. It is beautiful.
I also feel like a more interesting person off social media. I read more, I walk and spend time in nature, I attend events, I've developed hobbies! (Like a love for fermentation), I make gifts for friends and family, I host dinner parties. My focus and presence is much higher.
One of the things that really clicked into place for me was when I read the book "Stolen Focus: Why you can't pay attention" by Johann Hari. I see a lot of damage from these platforms. I could go into a long rant about it (and how I've witnessed it not only in myself, but also in the elementary school students I used to teach in my former career). If people had more focus and attention, I think we would be awake to more of what is going on in the world and would do something about it. But that's a discussion for another time.
TL;DR Social media is nuanced and its influence pervasive. It's worth looking at your relationship to it and taking action to change how much it appears in your life, thoughts, and world.