Woof. I hear you on the desire to log off. The flood of information and lack of context has felt very overwhelming for me as well lately. It reminds me of the Bo Burnham song Welcome to the Internet.
I'm trying to take steps to change my lifestyle to be less online too, and have started planning a backcountry hiking trip (something I used to love) for the first time in years. Feeling hopeful and excited about that!
I just want to go sit in silence and look at a lake for a few days, you know?
I do think it's possible to find balance with social media and the internet. It's almost like a spiritual practice to be very intentional from moment-to-moment about how we choose to spend our time and who and what is ultimately served by our internet addictions.
I have been pretty much off Instagram for 2 years and the only reason I would check it from time-to-time was to read your posts and content from a couple of other people. I have been delighted to see everyone move to Substack. By doing this, you are giving people the opportunity to reclaim the parts of themselves that can sit, read and think deeply. I'm upping my monthly contribution to support this. Thank you!
I am always amazed at the timing of your words-- they seem to resonate and resound just when I need them the most. thank you so much for everything you share! it means a lot.
Rooting for you. Your work has been so inspiring to me as I'm going through a reconnection to my own writerly-thinkerly-self lately.
I have finally been able to find space and disinterest with instagram in the past two years but I went through the same addiction-y bullshit with it for about five years when I got sober/quit cigarettes. It's so fucking frustrating to know you're being gamed by the app and yet not able to walk away.
I really feel this call to create more than I consume... and the crushing weight of the addiction to social media too 🤦 but I have recently subscribed to your substack and the last few days it has helped me to have short articles to read when I reach for my phone instead of immediately scrolling through endless posts and reels. I have some scary brain fog and memory issues probably from a combination of trauma and phone addiction, so I'm hoping the longer form stuff will also slowly bring me back to feeling smart again. It feels such a product of our times that we are so desperate for numbing, but also a tactic... endless circuses to distract from dwindling bread. I'm starting to consider it an ethical necessity to find a way for myself out of this addiction.
Given recent controversy, I’m dealing with a similar question right now as well, holding off on creating until I can answer it for myself. Part of me wants to ditch my creative writing on the Internet (and do what? zines? nothing for nobody? something altogether unforeseen?), but I love how these tools allow me to weave the pieces of my puzzles together. What to do; what to do?
good shit! figuring out how to be online is so weird as a creator... apparently there is a way to set up an independent subscription structure, like for your own website. I do not yet know how to do this but seems helpful.
I so deeply relate to the first part of this newsletter! Loving the internet as a child as an escape and then getting lost in the social media addiction as an adult. So happy for you that you're feeling this shift! Good luck <33
So happy for you and also a little bit jealous! Lol also what scheduling app do you use if you don’t mind me asking!
Meta business suite.
Woof. I hear you on the desire to log off. The flood of information and lack of context has felt very overwhelming for me as well lately. It reminds me of the Bo Burnham song Welcome to the Internet.
I'm trying to take steps to change my lifestyle to be less online too, and have started planning a backcountry hiking trip (something I used to love) for the first time in years. Feeling hopeful and excited about that!
I just want to go sit in silence and look at a lake for a few days, you know?
Good luck out there in the analog world! 😜
Welcome to the other side!
I do think it's possible to find balance with social media and the internet. It's almost like a spiritual practice to be very intentional from moment-to-moment about how we choose to spend our time and who and what is ultimately served by our internet addictions.
I have been pretty much off Instagram for 2 years and the only reason I would check it from time-to-time was to read your posts and content from a couple of other people. I have been delighted to see everyone move to Substack. By doing this, you are giving people the opportunity to reclaim the parts of themselves that can sit, read and think deeply. I'm upping my monthly contribution to support this. Thank you!
I am always amazed at the timing of your words-- they seem to resonate and resound just when I need them the most. thank you so much for everything you share! it means a lot.
Rooting for you. Your work has been so inspiring to me as I'm going through a reconnection to my own writerly-thinkerly-self lately.
I have finally been able to find space and disinterest with instagram in the past two years but I went through the same addiction-y bullshit with it for about five years when I got sober/quit cigarettes. It's so fucking frustrating to know you're being gamed by the app and yet not able to walk away.
I really feel this call to create more than I consume... and the crushing weight of the addiction to social media too 🤦 but I have recently subscribed to your substack and the last few days it has helped me to have short articles to read when I reach for my phone instead of immediately scrolling through endless posts and reels. I have some scary brain fog and memory issues probably from a combination of trauma and phone addiction, so I'm hoping the longer form stuff will also slowly bring me back to feeling smart again. It feels such a product of our times that we are so desperate for numbing, but also a tactic... endless circuses to distract from dwindling bread. I'm starting to consider it an ethical necessity to find a way for myself out of this addiction.
Given recent controversy, I’m dealing with a similar question right now as well, holding off on creating until I can answer it for myself. Part of me wants to ditch my creative writing on the Internet (and do what? zines? nothing for nobody? something altogether unforeseen?), but I love how these tools allow me to weave the pieces of my puzzles together. What to do; what to do?
good shit! figuring out how to be online is so weird as a creator... apparently there is a way to set up an independent subscription structure, like for your own website. I do not yet know how to do this but seems helpful.
I so deeply relate to the first part of this newsletter! Loving the internet as a child as an escape and then getting lost in the social media addiction as an adult. So happy for you that you're feeling this shift! Good luck <33