I don’t have Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn profiles anymore.
But we can still be friends—actual friends, instead of “I follow you and you follow me but we never see each others’ updates” friends.
Here are some ways that can happen:
- You could email me to say “hello.” (Please do this. I really like it when people do this.)
- You might sign up to receive vibrant monthly emails. (Also a favorite.)
- You can opt into the intimacy of weekly updates. (I’d be honored.)
- If snail mail is more your thing, my sticker club is the way to go. (This is a lot of fun.)
I quit social media, because it weakens creativity by training artists to chase after “likes” and comments.
What’s more, these apps knowingly mess with the mental wellbeing of users in order to make advertising more effective. And if that wasn’t bad enough, these companies also reward posts that provoke violence because they get a lot of engagement. That kind of behavior really steams my potatoes, so I decided to delete my profiles.
Please know that just because I refuse to participate in corporate social media doesn’t mean I think you have to cancel your accounts.
This video includes insights from Anne of My Giant Strawberry, Jen McCleary, Kristen Sampson, Julia Bausenhardt, Nicole Cicak, Kelsey Rodriguez, and Sneha of Essem Creatives as well as me!
There’s plenty of info about ditching Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn on my blog:
- How social media cheats you out of your creativity.
- What to say to people who defend the privacy violations of these apps.
- The one thing you must do when getting off of social media.
- What to expect in the first few months after deleting.
- The one time I came close to regretting my decision to leave Instagram.
- How to get art opportunities when you’ve canceled social media.
- How to find and follow artists without these apps.
- One option for random internet connections that’s anti-algorithm and completely ad-free.
- Why I’m comfortable declaring that social media is officially dead.
I believe so strongly in life after social media that I made a whole series of paintings about it! Friend Request was featured in this lovely NJ.com video.