On my mind, almost constantly: I have to get off Facebook and Instagram. I’ve successfully managed to avoid Facebook except for groups and memories most days, but Instagram has me in an addicted vice that won’t let go. Yesterday I got a notification that m e t a will start charging $12.99 per month (!!) to use their channels without ads. I already think the ads are too much, and I would never pay for social media. For that much, I could support two writers here on Substack! Or subscribe to a reliable news source. So… I may be breaking up with the insta. The other thing is that more and more of the accounts I used to follow for inspiration, motivation, beauty, and unique perspectives have all becomes influencers. Now, I’m not saying influencers don’t provide valuable content. They do. But not for me, because I live abroad and don’t shop the same Amazon, the same stores, the same anything. I also don’t shop from Chinese warehouse sites on principle, and a lot of content and ads are based on those websites that make me want to throw up. And if I do get off social media, I might be spending more time here. It will represent a big change, though. I value the space here and work hard to make my content only the best. So we’ll see how that goes.

I’d love to hear from people who got off the gram completely, and how they managed. Was it hard? Is it as much like a drug as it feels?