16 Comments
User's avatar
Caro's avatar

I recently started using instagram again, and the amount of anxiety I felt everytime I posted, was just so overwhelming, the idea of people watching me, always freaked me out, but despite that I still was uploading stories and posts, just so people could see me, because I thought I should be doing what everyone else does, to sort of “fit in”, but reading this has given me clarity about the reality behind instagram, so thank you

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lise's avatar

i'm unfortunately not ready to delete instagram at the moment as im going back to uni soon and the only way to actually maintain friendships seems to be to connect through social media. i have, however, put screen time locks on it so I really have to be mindful with how i use it. and if i need to message someone, i'll use it on my laptop- i find that using instagram on Mac is super annoying, and i never end up doomscrolling on it.

on top of the screen time locks, i recently removed about 500 people that I had on my account and made it private; all people from high school, or from my city that were mutual friends that i realised i really didn't care about/want seeing any part of my life.

it's definitely helped me to stop feeling the need to perform and share every bit of my life, and at the moment my mindset is much clearer. my social life is lacking due to me living back at home and away from my friends atm, but i don't find myself being overly sad about spending time with my own thoughts and disconnecting from everything else.

this has encouraged me to keep going as well. lovely writing! :D <3

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bee's avatar

I regularly clean out my instagram followers so that it leaves only the people who I intentionally want to share my life with! Some of my friends think it's harsh, but I don't believe everyone should have access to me and my experiences. I always feel a bit lighter idk

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Isik's avatar

Omggggg, this piece resonates so well my feelings on social media too. I cannot believe I watch my primary school friends life on a screen even I did not see these people more than a decade ago 🥲

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Patty :)'s avatar

I have never felt so seen before when I read this. Same like you, I kept deactivating and then downloading instagram but I got so fed up with myself and fully deleted it in August and honestly, life is so good. Anxious the first few weeks because of FOMO and being forgotten but now I just send letters and text my close friends and I’ve never felt so much more connected :)

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dahlia's avatar

This was beautiful

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bee's avatar

Something I struggle with that this post doesn't bring up is the influence of hyper-consumerism on instagram. I'm a (reforming) reels addict and I truly think insta shifted my mindset regarding materials goods and money and luxury...in a negative way. I became this person who was always looking to buy the next thing, when I had never cared about shopping prior. I started feeling so lame and behind for not spending money on certain things or booking cosmetic appointments, behaviors that my corporate work friends were all participating in as well. I'm really trying to move away from that kind of thinking, in addition to the points in this post!

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Lisa <3's avatar

As someone who is also struggling with social media anxiety, I can’t help but feel connected to this article, with the American tik tok ban upcoming and more people flocking to Instagram and other social media platforms, I’m wondering how this will impact the experience of myself and others, looking forward to your other posts

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ifedayo 💌's avatar

I feel like this post describes my relationship with social media perfectly. The back and forth deactivation and what not- a way I expressed my imperfection and love-hate commitment with this thing that sucked what was left of my sanity.

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Jadeh's avatar

Loved you post! I deleted my Instagram for years and created a new account in 2024. I still have mixed feelings about it and kinda miss the days that I didn't have an account. I'm trying to find more peaceful ways to exist online and substack seems like a nice place :)

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Soy el que soy's avatar

Instagram, facebook, whatsapp, etc are made to be addictive. This people do not care about your health. I think we should repeat this to ourselves until we realize it. I've been always amazed by the necessity to adopt any new technology that is popped out into the world. We should use caution and stop implementing the new shinning tool. Think twice. We are battling a huge power, but it's up to us. There are other ways to face life.

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Ava ❦'s avatar

I’ve just deleted Instagram and downloaded Substack for the same reasons / with the same intentions. I can’t believe how long I’ve spent clutching to Insta with FOMO for people who I haven’t even interacted with in years, and posting for people I wouldn’t care to reconnect with in real life… feels like having the cage door opened!

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Usman Memon's avatar

Your brain will always find ways, it might remind you of posts of yore, or any other way to get you back on Instagram.

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Usman Memon's avatar

Search for "Burialgoods social media" on YouTube

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lily bo jilly's avatar

i’ve also been in a constant battle with deleting social media for 5+ years, but for some reason this past bout has stuck, and it’s changed my life. the key i found is to really try to learn from your failures each time, to map out your habits and triggers and improve on them each time until you reach a regiment that works for you!

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lily bo jilly's avatar

why did i come across that exact “why are you scrolling, what are u looking for” pin while doomscrolling on pinterest and also felt called out….we live the same life lol

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