Ditching Instagram: Focusing on Meaningful Connections
Friday, January 24, 2025
Yes! You heard it here first. Like all of you, I was excited for Instagram when it first hit the scene back in late 2010 and still had my original account from that time. Meta (formerly Facebook) famously purchased the business for $1 billion and successfully integrated it into its ad network and social graph, but I'm not here to relive or debate history -- we can save the positives and negatives for another post.
This is not to bash the platform, nor criticize those who use it to build their business, brands and outreach. I do not have those needs. Mine was a personal account that I spent way too much time "doom scrolling", searching for vanity likes, outreach, and engagement. Personal accounts should not be used for this purpose as it adds no value, and frankly, grows into one big time constraint.
If you are a former reader of mine, you'll notice one big advantage thus far -- I'm posting a blog. Not a LinkedIn snippet or repost from BlueSky but writing an actual post which I have not done in quite some time. My annual domain registration and WordPress bills are coming due, and I want to take the time this year to build out my writing and reach through conversations, not vanity contests.
We must also consider mental health. In recent decades, one's well-being in this field is taking more seriously than it ever has been, and to different folks, that means different outcomes. For me, the question is -- what could I best be spending my time on for my skill set, career, and helping others? These values are important to me, and Instagram dopamine hits were not contributing meaningfully to those values.
So, what will I fill my days doing? I plan on working on evolving my personal networking techniques, read more (whether its audiobooks, eBooks or good old-fashioned tree-killers); and working on posting when and where it matters. I plan on making meaningful contributions to other publications to extend my reach and expertise.
The advances in AI of the past two-years have really made me reflect on what platforms and mediums are meaningful and whether they help or harm the cause. Again, I should write many more posts on that topic, and likely will. I need to learn more and talk less. Pushing out photos and media that feels "forced" is not a strategy worth pursuing.
If you would like to follow in these footsteps, I've included a link on how to delete your Instagram account. Be careful, re-logging in during the 30-day window will reset the timer and you'll have to start the countdown over again. Your mileage on taking this action can and should vary. I'm looking forward to using my new-found time to create longer, researched, in-depth posts and being confident enough in what I conclude to post on the platforms I still utilize.