The Trap of Instagram and Social Media

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with social media. This feeling has grown exponentially since entering the public sphere three years ago. On the one hand, I love the many incredible people whom I would never have come across otherwise. On the other, I hate how consumeristic and toxic these apps have become.

It’s no secret that social media addiction impacts mental health negatively. There’s also the very real threat of your account arbitrarily being shut down by the powers-that-be, and losing all your hard work and memories in a single instant.

The culture of Instagram

I envision Instagram as a bookstore of all my favourite artists and authors in one place. I move toward a shelf with a beautiful tome I want to thumb through, but on my way there, a garish billboard pops up demanding my attention and wanting me to buy their shiny new product. After successfully sidestepping it, I take a few steps toward my destination, only to get stopped by yet another one, this time offering discounted items in exchange for talking about them in my book.

On and on.

Meanwhile, some loud music plays in the background and tells me what is trendy at the moment, what to publish, what kinds of products I need to become a bestselling author. Everyone else who is in the store with me is also screaming at the top of their lungs to be heard over all the noise.

“Look at me. Look at me. LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT ME.”

By the time I get to the book I was eyeing, I’ve forgotten what I was there for and am so overstimulated and exhausted that I give up and leave the store. On the way out, someone pushes another flyer in my face.

That is what Instagram feels like to me.

As I try to get to my favourite people and books, I am also speaking out and trying to be heard. I could stay there and continue to wade through the mess, continue adding my voice to the ruckus.

Or I could walk away and find somewhere quieter.

To be fair, my personal experience with Instagram has not been as bad as it was once, thanks to my strict boundaries and my ability to easily walk away. However, it does seem like a waste of my limited capacity to spend so much time on there trying to reach those who want to hear from me, only to get lost in the crowd of advertisements and at the mercy of an ever-changing algorithm.

Why I made an Instagram to begin with

As an extremely private person, I was loath to make a public Instagram. But of course, I’m also an author trying to build an audience who will eventually (hopefully) read my books, and for that, my choice was either 1) social media or 2) pay for ads.

Social media it was.

Authors nowadays must not only be writers, but also marketers, social media managers, content creators, graphic designers, copywriters, photographers, branders...

And rich.

I’d heard it said that publishers won’t take an author seriously unless they have thousands of followers.

It’s a game I felt I had no choice but to join, yet wished to get out of.

I just want to write.

I don’t want to play into the trends of reels, trending audio, and endlessly researching what’s changing with the algorithm—just to be seen. My strengths are not in content creation and never have been. If you followed me over from Instagram, you know my account has always been text-heavy—long, thoughtful captions paired with a single image.

The caption limit has kept me from expressing all my thoughts fully more times than I can count. I have often wondered why I bother staying on an app that so clearly does not work with my style.

Since moving most of my personal reflections and book reviews to Substack, I’ve found a more enriching, life-giving environment.

So, Instagram, is this a break-up?

At the moment, I’ve deactivated all my social media and deleted the apps completely. Who knows if this break-up is permanent? If I find what I’m looking for here, I don’t know if I will return. It has become altogether too loud, overstimulating, and stressful in the Old World.

If I do go back, it will be for the small community of people I’ve found there (although if I manage to lure them over here…….hmmm..).

Either way, I don’t see myself going back to the same level of engagement as I was trying to be at before finding a home on Substack.

That feels freeing.