Why I quit Instagram and how it’s going, a one-year update | casual catchup + cozy ink log session

[@chi-towncalifornia5916]

There is so much I can relate with here. Among those factors is the task and challenge avoidance behavior, especially with doing something I know I want to do to improve myself as a person. I almost never use my IG account nowadays. Biggest reason? Compulsive buying and comparison with what other people have. Now that I’ve gravitated toward slower and more long form content, I need to be more intentional and conscientious about what I’m doing, and what content I am consuming. The anger and outrage factor was also why I permanently quit Twitter a couple years ago, and never used Tik-Tok. I didn’t even realize that those big dumb cups were a thing until a couple of months ago lol. Once I took a step back and realized that 90% of social media content was there to either sell stuff to me, or rage bait me into generating free ad revenue for someone else, I felt more vindicated in quitting most of it. Social media to me is like substance addiction: those who quit learn who their real friends are.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment, and sharing your experience with social media. You just reminded me about Twitter. I didn’t mention it, even though I have an account, because I haven’t used it in years. 😅 I think IG was the only one I really felt like I needed to take drastic measures with because it was my most-used platform. Even when I tried to take IG vacations or restrict time spent on the platform, I’d get a DM or a notification which would inevitably lead to hours of scrolling. It’s interesting what you said about comparing it to an addiction. It certainly felt like an addiction to me, and I wasn’t able to set strong enough boundaries to engage with the platform in a healthy way. At the same time, I don’t think it necessarily triggers that same response in others. My sister, for example, has a private account and uses it like a personal photo album for their friends and family. She also has kids and a non-desk job, so she doesn’t have time to actually sit and scroll for hours like I do. 😅 I suppose if my life circumstances were different, I might find it easier to have stronger boundaries.

[@SoImAlexa]

thanks so much for sharing! i find it relaxing to prioritize longer form content like your youtube videos. i agree that its way easier to multitask when on a platform like this one!

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Thank you so much for your kind words! I am glad to know that there are others who still prefer long-form content. I sometimes worry that if less people watch, then there’ll be less incentive for people to create that content. Thanks again for being here. I appreciate you! 🥰

[@earthologyhut]

Hi Alison, I related to so much of your video except the deactivation part. Things all got to much for me during covid with people forwarding so much unhelpful incorrect information on EVERY social media platform that I just had to stop looking at them all. I didn’t deactivate any accounts but know that if someone really wanted to check-in with me they would call me. I felt so so much better for it as before I would wake and go on to social media and like you find that I just kept scrolling and before I knew it I had lost more than half the day. I still spend too much time on KZbin but at least I follow people who are sharing their story and support my growth whilst I support them as best I can. I occasionally go back but still find that it really is not for me. Wishing you peace and kindness to your soul, and thank you so much for this video, Varsha.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Hi Varsha, thank you for your thoughtful comment! You brought up another great point about misinformation. I struggled with that a lot in 2020, and now that you mention it, I think it also contributed to my mood swings as well in terms of the type of content I was consuming. I have probably shifted a lot of time I would have spent scrolling on IG into watching videos on KZbin. I personally prefer long-form content, so maybe that’s why I have an easier time engaging with it? I’ll have to reflect on that a bit more. There are aspects of KZbin (like shorts) that can reel me in as well, and I understand that advertising exists in this platform. I don’t mind sponsored posts as much as on KZbin as I do on IG, though. Maybe bc it’s usually a 30-90 second ad-read as opposed to it being the entirety of a post/reel on IG/TikTok? I can still enjoy a longer video from the creator. I understand that creators need to earn a living, and I rarely skip the sponsored portion of videos. I’m not sure whether it was overall time spent, or type of content that impacted me more on IG in terms of my mood and overall wellbeing. Probably a combination of both.

[@earthologyhut]

@@LittleCocoStudio Alison I think you may be my emotional twin. We seem to share a lot of similarities in our thoughts and take-always from our life experiences. It is nice to know I am not along. Thank you again for starting and continuing which such insightful, thoughtful and genuine content. You are ent hero (and I don’t say that a lot - not really into celebrity-following - I prefer to admire and respect real people like you who bring value and thoughts of my own life-direction to me. 🥰😍🙏🏽🫶🏽🙌🏾🙌🏾💖❤️‍🩹

[@papuknots8146]

I relate to this so much! I noticed also that I kept doom scrolling for way too long everytime I just opened the app. Maybe I even went to check a certain thing, but ended up scrolling and scrolling and eventually forgetting what I went to check to begin with. I setup myself a 15 minute daily limit on my phone and for a few months now it has done the trick. I don’t even open the app daily anymore. Totally understand why you would want to deactivate it completely! Thanks for sharing you story! ❤

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Setting a daily limit is so smart!! Maybe that’s something I can try if I eventually return to IG. Even though I have an active tik tok account, I only log into the app 2-5 times a month. It’d be great if I could do the same with IG. Thanks for sharing your strategy, and for taking the time to comment. I appreciate you! 🥰

[@onemorerow520]

Really great video, Alison. I love your thoughts and reason for stepping away. 🥰

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Thank you so much! 🥰💗

[@christinemcgregor9970]

This was a very interesting video. I agree that IG sucks you in and before you know if 30-40 mins has gone by and you only meant to be on for 5-10 mins. I use it mostly for food ideas and workouts. I don't think I'm addicted to it since I don't check in multiple times throughout the day. I do use FB more as a way to see what friends are up to since people really don't talk on the phone like they used to. My husband has no social media accounts and he's quite happy and is happy to avoid any drama on there. You just have to do what works for you. Since you have a small business you don't have time to lose hours over mindless scrolling. Love your paintings and drawings. They are gorgeous.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Thank you so much for your kind words! 🥹 The more I work on these ink illustrations, the more I feel motivated to continue do more! I’ve always been very touch and go with my art practice, and it has been a long time since I’ve felt motivated to pick it up again on a more consistent basis. I think I might fist off my gouache paints, soon. 😅 It sounds like you’ve got a pretty healthy relationship with IG. I think if I could manage my content consumption habits a bit better, I would like to use it similarly as you do. I‘ve tried quite a few viral food trends and recipes, and gained a lot of DIY inspiration. At the end of the day, I see all the hard work creators put into producing content. It’s a lot of work to be so concise and entertaining. I don’t want to blame creators for having to keep up with what the platform is asking of them. If I can learn to scroll more mindfully, I could see myself reactivating my account some day. I know right now, though, I’m not ready. 😅

[@kummiekins]

You’re doing great! I had to open up instagram to recall when i last posted on it. It was 2019. That’s how long i quit Instagram and have never regretted it. It did initially start as a vacation but eventually morphed into dropping it entirely. And now all that mindless scrolling turned into so many fulfilling activities, like journaling, reading and learning to sketch to name a few.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

It sounds like we have a lot in common! 📝📚✍️🤩I once heard someone say that it’s better to be spend more time creating, than consuming. That always stuck with me as a good reminder to check in with myself when it feels like I’m spending too much time over an extended period consuming content (including streaming tv shows!) over making/creating things. At the same time, if all I’m ever doing is creating / optimizing for productivity, that’s a guaranteed way for me to burn out.

[@inspiringsimple]

Oh Alison…..there is so much I want to say. Thank you for this video. I’ll be back soon to comment more.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Thank you for being here, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts! 💗

[@JenFetzer]

Allison this is so relatable! Also, I can’t remember if you are a one L alison or two 😅 I might experiment with this too because I notice myself not exploring my own art as much as I would like and sometimes leaning into trends in the painting community.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Omg, hiiiii!!! It’s so nice to see you, Jen! You are one of the artists I miss from IG. 😞 I feel you on not exploring my own art. I feel a lot more free (although, admittedly sometimes less motivated) when I’m not constantly scrolling through my IG feed. Let me know what you think if you end up experimenting with taking IG breaks! 💗

[@4prerna]

something about June i guess ! I uninstalled instagram on 31May this year and so much of what you are saying - I can experience already! :)

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Yeah, maybe there is something to be said for this time of the year. I suppose it helps that it's summer time here, and it's easier to stay off my phone and spend more time outside. I'm happy to hear that you've been able to relate to what I've been experiencing - I hope this has been a positive experience for you so far, and if so, that it continues to be! 💖

[@kel.sharpe]

I've been on the fence about officially saying adios to instagram with how much its affected my mental health, and like you mentioned the feeling of constantly comparing yourself to other creators and artists alike. But now I am done posting on that app due to META's new bs AI programming where they will now take *all* content posted and will use it for their own advantage - without anyone's consent; this is by far the lowest blow they've taken. Though I'm done posting to my feed, I will continue to use that platform to repost and share educational content to my stories, as my audience is still somewhat interested in watching, but also because very little IG creators are talking about 🇵🇸🇨🇩🇸🇩

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Oh wow, I’m not too familiar with meta’a new AI programming, but that doesn’t surprise me if they’re using content posted on their platform without explicit consent. I’ll have to look into this more, because I have old photos on my private FB account that I never bothered deleting bc I can’t find the original digital images at the moment! Reposting and sharing educational content on extremely important topics is a good reason to remain on the platform. ❤️‍🩹

[@kel.sharpe]

@@LittleCocoStudio That is the sole reason why I still have snapchat hahaha 🙃 It's especially scary because they have access to our private accounts, and even posts that have been archived - I'm now on a mission to delete all of my archived IG posts :/ Yet another reason why YT is one of the best platforms! ❤

[@Terrible_Hime]

i have highs and lows with social media, the same like it do for fitness and working out. lately i've just been trying to post on social media for myself. admittedly youtube is what i find the most influential when it comes to purchasing stuff, but when i feel like i don't want to buy things in a certain category, i just avoid the types of videos that trigger spending. house plants or makeup for example.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

I really like your approach! I feel like maybe it’s easier to do with KZbin, than it is with YT shorts. I know if I’m in the mood to learn about a pen I’m interested in, for example, YT offers a pretty good search function that will allow me to watch a bunch of review videos to gain a broader perspective. At one point, I tried having separate IG accounts - one for friends/family, one for following art, one for following home decor, etc, to help me focus my content consumption. But I couldn’t quite curate my experience in a way that supported healthy behaviour.

[@Terrible_Hime]

@@LittleCocoStudioi think it's really hard to curate on instagram. i feel like it never shows me what i want to see and i'm constantly bombarded by ads and sponsored posts. honestly i don't use it very much anymore, even to scroll, because i find it to be very frustrating. i agree about YT's search function, it's only of the things i like most about this platform.

[@hometoheather]

I started blogging in 2005 and was here online when all these platforms were born. Back then, they were a lifeline and I turned them into my job which earned a decent part-time income. Now, I can hardly stand to be on them but feel like I need to keep ties because they are essential in landing future gig work. Twitter and Instagram were so incredible 10 years ago for building community and making connections and now they are pretty toxic. It's difficult to keep a balance and so I've mostly quit. I wish things were different. There is so much potential for good.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Blogging since 2005 -that’s incredible!🥹 I imagine you would have seen a lot of change over time. I agree about how IG and Twitter have changed. I always struggled to get into a groove with Twitter, but I was better at keeping it separate from my personal life since I mainly used it for work purposes. What do you think would need to change for you to feel motivated to use platforms like IG and Twitter? And how have you been managing it now, for example, landing future gig work? I used to keep my social media presence intentionally limited (for a few years, I was only on IG, but the idea of relief solely on one platform also makes me nervous). Having a standalone blog is a very smart move!

[@hometoheather]

@@LittleCocoStudio The motivation waned when the algorithms stopped showing feeds chronologically and to your followers. Instead of seeing the people you follow, you saw ads or viral content and it felt like I had done so much work to grow an audience and then I couldn't access them without paying for ads. So that is what would have to change in order to go back. I am no longer motivated to work hard to entertain 20 second views (if you're lucky!) for someone who will never engage otherwise because they weren't following or engaged in the first place. Having a stand alone website was key because with decent SEO I could somewhat control traffic. I was able to drive a lot of traffic to it via pinterest, which is still a little better than the others in that regard. So, in looking for clients, I sell myself on SEO skills, writing ability, creativity and knowledge of the subject matter I write about. Social media views are a much bigger challenge. Depends on the client of course!

[@walkingexercise5375]

Question for KZbin, do you follow a certain number of channels or set a time limit? For example, only follow about 30 channels or 1 hour of KZbin a week. Thanks!

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Hmm, great question! I would say that I tend to set a time limit more than I do limiting the number of channels. I tend to follow a lot of channels, because my memory is terrible, and if I don’t leave a breadcrumb for myself with a channel I’ve discovered, it’ll be really hard for me to find them again. Usually, I watch YT on my tv when I’m doing a task. For example, during a lunch break or doing a chore that requires minimal concentration like folding laundry. When the task is done, I usually don’t have as much trouble turning the tv off when I’ve completed my task/chore! How do you typically engage with KZbin? 😊

[@walkingexercise5375]

@@LittleCocoStudio I like the idea of watching KZbin on tv while doing tasks! I follow a lot of channels, but might simplify because of information overload. So thinking maybe having a certain number of channels for different categories like planner channels, cooking channels.

[@fannyku614]

I’m a recent IG user. My experience is generally positive. I’m an artist and I follow my favourite ones to learn and enjoy.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

IG can be such a great platform for discovered new artists! I find a lot of artists I follow post the most up to date art on their IG accounts, over their websites.

[@StationeryDumpling]

I’m curious if your ups and downs due to likes on instagram carries over to views on KZbin? Because it does for me. Instagram is still my main source of content consumption, but once I let go of trying so hard on the content *creation* portion of instagram, I like it a lot more. Even so, I am still quite tired. It is obvious when you say it out loud, but it didn’t occur to me that I might need a social media break and that may be why I’m always tired and drained day and night. It’s the first thing I see when I wake up and last thing I see before going to sleep. 😬

[@StationeryDumpling]

The part I love about IG is connecting with people and friends. The part I hate is running into content that is negative, forces a reaction out of me, or is just plain bad news and opinions of the world.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

I have noticed similar ups and downs with respect to my KZbin views, yes. The analytics can be useful, though, so I’m trying to embrace the discomfort I feel and use it as a learning opportunity (try is the key word, here. 😝). For that reason, I try to limit my time on the KZbin studio app. I like that this allows me to still watch content on the regular KZbin app without feeling an impulse to check how my content is performing. Something that also helped was disabling notifications on my KZbin app, since I can see them when I log into KZbin studio. I‘ve been limiting KZbin studio use to once or twice a day (this doesn’t always happen, but that’s what I aim for). I appreciate you sharing how you’ve been able to changing how you think about and use instagram. I wonder if I’d enjoy it more if I had let go of the content creation side of things. I have to admit that IG is one of the better platforms for creative businesses, especially if you’re making cute products (hello, cute stamps! I’m glad you posted about them on YT!). I hope my video doesn’t come across as not accepting any form of advertising/marketing when it comes to content. I actually don’t mind when I see people on YT include a sponsor in their videos. I think it’s the nature of a short-form content, the style of content that comes from the constraint of a photo, story or reel, and how it is pushed to users on a short-form platform (endless conveyer belt) like IG that trigger my own problematic behaviours and thoughts.

[@StationeryDumpling]

@@LittleCocoStudio I try to limit my time on the KZbin studio app, too. I also have notifications turned off (which is why I tend to miss responding to comments LOL...) Thank you for the stamp set appreciation :) I don't think your video comes off as not accepting advertising/marketing content. What I got from your video is your perspective on how IG and social media impacted your life, and how you came to make decisions on how to approach it. I actually admire it quite a bit. I appreciate you sharing your journey and your self awareness.

[@cerealnana]

I am terrible at Instagram. I get super irritated at all the ads and posts by people I don't even know or subscribe to. I am rarely on it, but I know I am missing out on what my friends are posting and that makes me sad.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Yeah, I think I started to really lose my patience when I would be served an ad for what felt like every 2-3 stories I watched. I also feel really sad to be missing out on my friend’s milestones. I haven’t quite figured out the right balance, there. I try to stay in touch via text or phone calls, but it takes a lot more effort and coordination than catching up with them over social media.

[@MissMarilynDarling]

I love social media if there is a social media out there I'm probably on it just in case someone wants to get ahold of me for some reason about my business or if friends want to get ahold of me :)

[@LittleCocoStudio]

Yes, that is a genuine benefit, especially as a business owner! Not to mention IG is still one of the easiest ways to start organically marketing yourself. I’ve had a few viewers mention they had trouble figuring out how to contact me recently. This made me realize that I’ve made it harder for people to get a hold of me by not having a stronger social media presence.

[@MissMarilynDarling]

@@LittleCocoStudio its a very thin line where you dont want to be bothered and you need to be bothered :/