Howdy Kumquats!
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written. And since I abandoned my Instagram and Facebook accounts. I’ve been trying to just delete the damn things, but I’m caught in a password worm-hole where I can’t retrieve the old nor make a new password because I started my accounts so long ago, I don’t even have the email that I signed up with. I managed to de-activate my Facebook and make Instagram private and that’s it. So I suppose my Instagram will sit there like the abandoned ruins of some forgotten civilization.
This is the third time I’ve left Instagram/ Facebook since 2016. Each time I have noticed a shift in the quality of my life. At its best, I used social media for promotion…which barely even worked because they bury your content if you don’t buy ads. Plus, most people are scrollers, not actually paying audience members. At its worst, it destroyed my professional career and reputation. No big deal. It’s only taken me 7 years of trying to rebuild my life with moderate success. I’ve definitely got another 50 on the planet at least, so I’ll get there eventually. LOL.
I don’t like what “swipe culture” has done to humanity, or what it does to my own attention span and memory…let alone all the other side effects. I don’t like the feeling of people I don’t know spying on my life while judging me —instead of actually helping, supporting or encouraging my work. The majority of my posts that actually get seen are made sensationalistic in this reactionary world, which I find boring. And I’m exhausted being hustled for products, programs and susbcriptions.
There’s narry an authentic interaction to be had!
On top of all of that, social media is infiltrated by more fake accounts, paid troll farms and AI way than we want to believe.
So, why did it take me so long to leave again? LOL.
Because I got addicted to it!
Duh.
And believed I “had” to be on it for my career.
{DISCLAIMER:
Please, before I continue, do not get your knickers into a twixt.
I truly don’t care if you are still on Facebook or Instagram! I don’t want to hear your guilt and shame about why you know you should leave but haven’t. Spare both of us, please. I’m sharing my experience, which doesn’t judge or compare to yours. It’s just my experience and my opinons and I hope they help you navigate life better in some way! }
And then there’s all the “this is just the world we live in” stuff.
Barf.
We tell ourselves all these stories that just aren’t true. Sadly, we make them true by participating in that belief. We are re-enchanting the world with magic and wonder here, people! The world is what we imagine it to be. Make that true. You can’t do it without realizing how powerful, creative and blessed you actually are, which is definitely not the message the over culture is indoctrinating us with.
By all accounts, across all of society, everyone agrees that our culture is a shit show and needs repair. We— artists, mystics, leaders, healers, visionairies, innovators of all kinds— do that by taking action fueled by our imagination. We dream our world into being. Together.
The world right now is so ridiculous— just look at the drama I had in my life last month over crap that only happened on social media. Off of social media, no one knows or cares. The real world is rolling right along. I don’t need the whole world to love me or know what I’m doing. I only need as many as it takes to fill a theater. I am perfectly content to save the world one show at a time. I just need people to start attending shows again.
This is pure parody— alittle allegory of what social media is doing to us while we act like everything is fine….
Social media is like a party— and you are the guest going to that party. When you arrive, you hand over your pants that has your wallet in the back pocket. While you’re hanging out by the punch bowl, someone is making a photocopy of your drivers license and astrology chart, which you gave them permission to do. Oh, the party is under constant video surveillance too. And every single word you utter or action you take is scrutinized by a woke troll mafia who will publicly humiliate you at the slightest provocation. Also, that punch you’ve been drinking just roofied you and now you’re a zombie. You can’t even put up a fight any more because your nervous system is paralyzed, but even if you tried to resist—you have no right to complain! You agreed to accept ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING in exchange for the privilege of being at the party. So, enjoy the party.
Doesn’t this sound like a fucking cartoon plot??
Nope, it’s just our reality right now.
If it wasn’t so nuts, I’d say it was bananas. LOL.
I’m happy to let Meta be a joke of the past…
Hahaha!
Wasn’t it funny how much of our power we gave away to corporations all those years??
LOLOLOLOLOL.
Sooooooo funny.
Social media effectively made us collectively anti-social. By design. All of this crap is INTENTIONALLY designed to keep us numb and dumb. Even when you know that, it takes a huge force of will to pull out of it. We act like it might be doing horrible things to OTHER people, but it’s not doing that stuff to us. Somehow, we convince ourselves we are immune.
I get it. I struggle to take action on my higher-calling beliefs all the time. I’m not above avoiding shit I don’t want to face, I can get lulled to sleep too. But I can’t lie to myself for very long these days.
This time, my departure from social media feels like it’s for keeps. Because I just don’t really think about its absence. I’m enjoying my freedom. Whereas the other times I quit, I missed it. Although, I am enjoying finding other articles about leaving social media right now. It is very topical.
I came across a few interesting reads right here on Substack that I wanted to share—
1. Art ←Entertainment ←Distraction ← Addiction
This was a great read— the article is titled The State of the Culture, 2024, by Ted Gioia who writes The Honest Broker blog.
2. Can we talk about Gen-Z’s fear of everything?
As a Gen-Xer that frequently triggers the younger generations, I’ve been curious about this risk-aversion phenonmenon for years myself. It’s anti-thetical to life. I learned this definitively by doing improv.
You have to say yes and chase your own fear if you want to find comedy gold.
I thought everyone eventually learned this, but I’ve been surprised about the younger folks keep choosing to live in a bubble of their own making. They seem to want to destroy me because I don’t want to live in a bubble with them. This could just as easily apply to many Millennials (not all…relax!) too.
My generation was raised like feral cats. We are street smart and have survived some crazy shit with sarcasm and a great sense of humor.
So in my experience…
No Risk = No Reward
I found this article to be very insightful— a first hand account of the issue, written by a member of Gen Z.
3. I subscribed to this Substack based on the name alone— The Social Media Escape Club.
Luckily I like the articles too. It’s very topical for me and I share many of the same desires as the writer— to return to more analog methods of distribution— like mixtapes, zines and ringing your friend’s doorbell unannounced (gasp! Can you imagine…?!)
4. Made With Human Intelligence
Check out this artist, Beth Spencer, who made a pro-human badge for artists to use for free if they agree not to use AI in their work. She’s even inviting other artists to make their own version.
5. Behold! My own website rises from the ashes!
When I left the socials, I decided that I would stick with Substack and Youtube, but I still needed a way for people to find me easily— so my friend helped (aka paid for a whole year of hosting) to bring my trixielittle.com website back from oblivion. I had let it lapse after The Nest closed April 2023. I gave up on everything for a while there.
How to present all of my weird talents to the general public is always a big puzzle to me. I think I’ve gotten the focus tightened in on my heavy hitters though— performing, painting, writing and teaching yoga. I’m still linking all the email sign up forms and all that, but I don’t mind sharing it in the early stages with you on this list— check out the work-in-progress that is my website.
I am concerned about how I will promote my shows, but I’m only focusing on the immediate places that I go— Baltimore and NoCal. I only need people there to show up.
All of the years I spent making art out in the mountains has made it so that I love my own company. I like being absorbed into the real world. Sure, there are a few people I miss sending funny animal videos and snarky memes to. But I have been more available for actual nature (like watching robins nest and raise babies; and helping carpenter bees find better wood they can live in, instead of destroying wood siding and windows) when I’m not filling every empty moment scrolling on my phone.
Marveling at nature is one of the ways that I spend time I used to give to social media.
Reading more writers on Substack is another.
It’s reassuring to see so many others talking about leaving this stuff behind. It might just be a movement. A “back-to-the-real-world” movement. Kind of like the “back-to-the-land” movement.
Analog was always way more sexy to me anyway.
Records and roller skates can replace scrolling.
Sounds fun to me.
And yes, if anyone is wondering, I do need a new pair of outdoor roller skates. Moxi size 6.
Later alligators.
More soon,
Trixie
I love the "Records and roller skates can replace scrolling". You´re sooooo right! I can say about myself that I do not have good control over social media usage. And what is the saddestthing is that it is not to inform us about art events etc. and to promote my cause, which is why I thought I joined in the first way, but to keep us distracted in an endless loop. I find e-mails way more effective to inform me about stuff going on. Iván tried to delete his account and hat lots of problems with the password etc. In the end he managed. What about me?
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Pretty much anything is a better use of your time & mind & spirit. Certainly baby robins are!