THINGS I LEARNED WHEN I QUIT INSTAGRAM

My last post in Instagram was November 16, 2021. That was around 3 years ago. It was an Au Revoir to Instagram and being active in posting in social media. I was still lurking around Instagram and my personal Facebook. I was still posting some family photos in my personal Facebook because I have been using it as my personal album and free storage space for photos I want to remember by. However, I have completely stopped posting in Instagram - in my feeds and stories.

Why, you may ask?

I have always have this ambivalence in sharing my life online. I love the outlet. I love the community. It was a perfect avenue to channel my love for writing and creating inspiring content or just the chance to share something that I discovered that people may also be interested , ignites my spirit. But it sometimes lives me vulnerable, naked and somehow invites people to comment, criticise and analyse your life & life choices. 

In 2014, when I was starting to attract brands and marketing agencies through my blog, they wanted bloggers to have a strong Instagram presence. I have to submit the number of my followers, change my Instagram to Business instead of Personal and I have to ensure that my reach & engagement are competitive enough. Marketing my Instagram account was so hard for me. I hate hard selling it and painstaking needing to drop in to random accounts to comment with hopes that they will follow my account. I feel pressured to get a lot of likes in the post because I get paid for the brand sponsorship and get loads of free products. I just wanted to write and take nice photos to remember but I feel that time I need to do this to establish my micro-influencer status. I also feel the need to document every moments of my life or I will miss out an awesome content. 

However, I continued on, I started to feel that little ambivalent voice whispering to me in a soft tone, “Do you really need to keep this up?” I started to feel more protective of my privacy and my plans. I didn’t want to come off wanting attention from the world which was never my objective. I just wanted to document my life in my blog, my Instagram feed and hoping if anyone passes by will find inspiration or a kindred spirit they can engage with. When all these thoughts have been hovering around in the mind on those past months before I quit Instagram, a loved-one told me that all I do is take photos of EVERYTHING. I realised, “Ya, I was so engrossed in creating that perfect Instagram photo, am I still being present in the moments of  my life?” Right then and there, I just stopped posting. I said I will not post maybe for a few months. Eventually those few months turned into years.

What have I learned during my abstinence in social media?

I realised that life was more peaceful without the need to document my life every minute of everyday. Life was more uncomplicated. I got to do more things with my time (initially). I realised I have spend so much effort in my Instagram feed to maintain my “influencer” status - doing likes for likes, commenting on other people Instagram post to increase my algorithm, spending so much time in doing content planning and doing all those reels. I realised life got more simpler. I love the peace and the simplicity. 

But with all the good, there is also some drawbacks when I stopped posting. I became more complacent and lazy. I stopped seeking for more interesting adventures in our lives. I became so protective of my privacy that I was almost too scared to share anything at all. I became so closed off from people, fearing of judgement, comments and opinions. And I thought, “Wait? That is not the kind of life I would want to live as well”. Too much in my shell, too distant from the world. I needed a balance of both worlds. I missed out documenting wonderful moments we have experienced. I love looking back at the Instagram stories I posted when the kids were younger. I was glad it is still in my archive. I love looking back at those moments. I also didn’t make too much effort in appearance because I don’t take any photos of myself. I did got a bit lazy and tired to even make an effort in myself and finding new discoveries. I know that I experienced more before because I wanted something interesting to share and it eventually enriched our lives. I know I feel great when I would post something - blog or Instagram post. The productivity juices somehow revitalises me.

So what now?

I still like the no-pressure posting in Instagram and in my blog. I will continue to blog and will start to post again in Instagram - but I will do it in my terms whenever I feel like it and with intentionality.

See you in Instagram, my friends…….