Why I Quit Instagram

I lasted an entire year on Instagram. The world of fun filters, witty captions, staged photos and entertaining Instastories can be quite addicting. It was fun keeping up with the lives of my friends, family, and sometimes celebs - but at what cost? I became a person I never wanted to be. I would find myself scrolling through Instagram just because I had a free second to myself. I used it to escape from the present moment.

Nearly

Every

Day.

WHAT

IN

THE

WORLD!

I never wanted to be that person. I forgot how to daydream and get lost in a quiet reverie. I started to miss that feeling of getting lost in my own thoughts - free from distractions.

I’m not writing this blog post to offend anyone - if you are reading this, chances are you DO have an Instagram account. I’m simply sharing my opinion and feelings about Instagram (and Facebook) and why I decided they are not healthy platforms for me to use. I will also share how it affected my creativity.

One could make the argument that I just have terrible boundaries when it comes to social media. But for me - the temptation of having it available at my fingertips 24/7 is just too much. I read a blog post about a woman who would delete her Instagram app after checking it in the morning and download again later in the evening — just to delete it again. If that is how you set boundaries - fine. But that’s way too much time and energy to spend on something you can easily live without. If you feel the need to go to tremendous lengths to keep yourself from spending too much time on Instagram, goodness gracious, it’s not worth the worry. I feel a sense of relief that I will be deactivating my account. (Facebook also)

As someone who values creativity, I found it disturbing that I was consuming more than I was creating. I spent more time learning how to market myself than I did creating anything. It’s nearly impossible not to compare yourself to other people on Instagram (and Facebook). How can I know who I am and what I want to create if I’m bombarded with other people’s content? Yes - Instagram can be a great source of inspiration for creatives - But for me, the cons outweigh the pros. Instagram was deadening my creative muse. My mind is noisy enough and that was only adding to it.

I noticed my creativity declining and anxiety increasing. Social media has its own energy and it’s not an energy I vibe with. I was perfectly content for seven years without social media and I’m ready to find that contentment again. I have been feeling disconnected from myself and starving for authenticity and creative expression. There is enough in this world to distract us from what truly matters. I don’t need something extra to make me feel more overwhelmed and overstimulated.

I value is quality over quantity when it comes to the written word. Instagram and Facebook seem overly saturated with content that can be hard to sift through. The breakneck speed at which some people produce and publish content amazes me. When do they have time to just sit and think? What do their husbands or wives think? Do they get annoyed with them? When do they sleep? If Instagram implodes tomorrow, some people would be completely lost. I know for myself that scrolling through pictures on my phone does not boost my creativity. I need to sit quietly by myself, door closed, without distractions.

Everyone craves attention. Instagram is able to capitalize on that need by putting a major focus on the number of followers and likes. I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt said it best: “If your creativity is driven by your desire to get attention, you’re never going to be creatively fulfilled.” His refreshingly honest TED talk on how craving attention makes you less creative is worth watching. He encourages us to pay attention to one thing, focus, and be present in life without thinking about how to market ourselves.

Can you do that?

As much as I would like to go off the grid at times and throw my smartphone into a black abyss, I will still be connected to the world wide web. However, I will no longer be on any social media platforms except Pinterest. Why Pinterest? I am able to share my blog without feeling overwhelmed and I have more control over what I view. It simply feels better to me. 15 years a go, Facebook was my best friend. Nowadays, I don’t even recognize it. I recently reactivated my account but was hardly an active user because of the anxiety I experienced whenever I logged in. My creative muse resonates with one social media platform at this time, and I am also not tempted to use Pinterest on a daily basis. I don’t even have it on my phone.

I am a writer before I am a marketer. I will create before I consume. I need to spend time getting back to who I am as a creative human being. I encourage you to do this as well. Detox from social media for a day or a week. Or just get off and see how it feels. Don’t worry. It will always be there for you if you want to go back to it.

If you are interested in keeping up with my blog, I encourage you to subscribe on my website and you will be notified about the latest blog posts.

I challenge you to stay off social media for the rest of your day today. Hide your phone.

Create something.

Let me know your thoughts on social media and creativity in the comment section.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s TED talk is below.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt on how craving attention makes you less creative