It’s been five months since I pulled the plug on @secondgendesi on Instagram.
I have a post explaining why here, but now that my bestie Christina and I are diving into the “pertinent” topics of today’s late 20s/30-something millennial on our new podcast Pour the Coffee, I thought it would be an interesting topic to cover through audio [click here to listen][listen on Spotify]!
https://anchor.fm/pour-the-coffee
Our “episode 2” covers exactly what the title of this blog post says, “It’s Okay to Not Be on Social Media“, and it is a *solo* episode featuring moi since Chrizz still has socials (lol!).
I actually recorded this episode several weeks before Pour the Coffee materialized. I had this sudden urge to talk about the topic in a free-flowing way:
“If you ask Pree for her social media handles, she’ll have nothing to offer you except the URL of her blog. In this solo episode, Pree talks about why she left a platform millions of people use for the sake of her mental health. She’ll go over…
[x] Her journey with the internet/blogging
[x] Her beginnings with Instagram as a food blogger
[x] Creating a new blog and Instagram in the early 2020s
[x] The red flags of the platform and toxic traits of “influencers” and niche accounts
[x] Why getting off social media altogether was the best for her mental health”
For those that want a written recap, I started writing about how I felt as soon as one week off the platform. Now with this blog post, it seems like an appropriate time to share!
How do I feel about leaving social media (i.e Instagram)?
Despite moments where I do feel isolated, I’m overall very proud of myself for leaving such a toxic environment. I think the biggest thing I gained was releasing unnecessary pressure of “following” people I didn’t want to follow. Despite so-called self-help “gurus” embracing the selfish notion of “look out for yourself” and “declutter your feed for your mental health”, I’m the kind of person who will always think about the other person affected.
When I had SGD on IG, it always put me in a funk whenever I saw someone I thought I had good rapport with (as much as one could have virtually) unfollow me. Towards the end of my IG stint, I even directly DM’d people asking why.
Yeah, I went there. Because it did bother me.
What is there to do with this newfound free time?
Lately, focusing on my job. Focusing on the next steps for the job I eventually want to land. Trying to enjoy things without worrying about others think…
…but it’s hard. Especially, when everyone around you is connected to social media in some form.
As much as I try to push people to go back to reading blogs (mine included!) and check in on my WhatsApp status if they’re *that* curious to know what’s up with me, it still hurts me to know people are okay with living life so attached to their phones.
Some days it’s easier to focus on creative projects, other days I just want to curl up and watch TV all day. Even if there is newfound free time because I ditched one unproductive source of consumption, it doesn’t mean I can be 100% productive with that newfound free time, and that’s okay.
Will I ever go back?
It will definitely depend on the purpose. Perhaps if my writing projects get anywhere and social media can help boost exposure, it would make sense at that point.
If I figure out a new niche or find something passionate about that I am motivated about growing, maybe…
But for now, I’m not compelled to “start over” and mutually follow people I don’t want to follow.
Nothing on that platform makes sense anymore. Pictures of frozen potatoes get more likes than fancy cappuccinos. Carousel posts with spelling mistakes somehow have hundreds of comments yet posts I made for a science education account rank low when it comes to engagement…
Instagram is a useful tool if you’ve got something to sell or promote, and it’s decent entertainment (I guess…) if you’re a passive consumer who doesn’t care much about “creating”. But becoming an “IG sensation” is not as easy as it was 10 years ago. The platform is heavily saturated, the algorithm is wonky, and it really does more harm than good to someone with earnest, but naïve intentions.
If you need some verbal company and want to hear my perspective on why I left social media, please give episode 2 of Pour the Coffee a listen! Let me know what you think in the comments!
Are you off social media/Instagram?
Have you thought about leaving? What makes you hesitate?
It all started a couple months ago when I was visiting my bestie Christina in Vegas.
We were staring at our respective laptops, sighing with frustration. I was venting about life in Italy and its difficulties, wondering why life’s twists and turns led me to a confusing place. Christina was lamenting about not yet meeting the “requirements” society has set for late twenty-somethings.
Then she said something that flicked a switch, “What if we started a podcast?”
It was something I found intriguing, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to commit to a new project. I was still struggling with whether or not I wanted to leave social media, and I was concerned that if I took on another creative project, I would neglect my writing projects (which, to be honest, has its ebb and flow).
I quit my IG May 2022. Months went by, and in late summer 2022, I felt like I needed a “creative reset”. I got back to Christina and asked, “you really want to do this?”
And now, here we are, ready to present to you, Pour the Coffee!
Here’s our lil description about the podcast:
Chrizz and Pree are highly-accomplished millennials near thirty, but like most of their peers, they’re starting to realize the world doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee. Rather than vent to each other, they figure others probably feel the same way, but are too shy to tell it like it is. Pour the Coffee is a podcast for anyone who appreciates open-minded conversations, fresh perspectives, and unfiltered opinions led by two vibrant hosts who happen to be besties for 20+ years and counting!
If you like conversation-style, discussion/opinion-sharing podcasts, definitely add us to your line-up! I know some of ya’ll still commute or feel a bit lonely on remote working days. Let Christina and I give you company with our unfiltered banter and genuine conversation!
We also plan to bring on guests in the future, so if you give us a listen and feel like you’d have fun speaking about a topic with us and sharing your unique thoughts and experiences in a space that won’t judge—by all means, reach out to us ( pourthecoffeepodcast@gmail.com)! Chrizz is managing our socials (casually, lol) and we are just getting started, but we are so excited about this project and hope you’ll come along for the ride 😘!
