How’s My Year Been Without Facebook and Instagram?

It’s been one year since I deleted my Facebook and Instagram. December 12 marks the anniversary. I made a video last year about my reasons for deleting Facebook and Instagram, and if you haven’t watched it yet then here it is.

So how has my year been without Facebook and Instagram? I’d say it’s been pretty great. I definitely don’t miss Facebook or Instagram. I still have no regrets especially with the way I’ve heard Instagram has been going with their move to an even more algorithm curated feed and having system failures. I also avoid a lot of online drama.

It’s been such a relief not having to worry about constantly having to post on Instagram and Facebook to feed the algorithm. This is a problem that you might only understand if you are also a content creator or business owner. Instagram and Facebook are hungry beasts that demand to be fed, and for me it became an unhealthy weight on my mind. I’ve enjoyed the peace of the past year of not worrying about that.

Instead I’ve been looking elsewhere for the connection and community that I once found on Facebook and Instagram. Really one of the simplest tools for communication that I’ve been using more is simply texting. You know, asking people for their phone numbers instead of messaging them on Facebook messenger or Instagram. A cool thing that happened after deleting my Facebook and Instagram, is that I got to reconnect with people who I hadn’t talk to in years. Not being on Facebook compelled us to make an effort to have a reunion.

What I think has been a real eye opener is how not being on Facebook or Instagram has changed how I interact with people when I see them. When I see people now I find myself more curious about what’s going on in their life since I don’t see any of their posts online and we have more interesting conversations. It’s important to consider how social media affects us in the littlest but also most significant ways. Another effect I’ve felt is how on social media there is more emphasis on the quantity of your friends and followers, but getting off of social media has made me more appreciative of the quality of relationships.

I can’t say that I’m completely off social media though. Just the Big Two. I’ve been trying out different social media platforms to see if there are any good alternatives out there because I do still believe that there are benefits to social media like being able to meet new people. After scouring the internet for other social media platforms, there were two that I thought were worth trying. The first one was minds.com but after using it for a few months I didn’t really like it. The platform that I have grown to love is called Vero.

There are two main reasons why I love Vero. #1 It has the absolute most beautiful aesthetic design. Just looking at the app is a pleasure. #2 NO ALGORITHM. Having a chronological timeline is one of the key features that Vero promise because a core belief of theirs is that social media without algorithms is a healthier experience.

Vero has really been kicking off since August of this year after some major YouTubers and photographers started promoting the platform. Vero has become a haven for photographers who have had enough of Instagram. If you love photography then I really recommend getting on Vero. But other people have been joining Vero too. One big name who just joined Vero a few weeks ago was James Gunn the director known for the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and the new head honcho of the DC movies.

While VERO is amazingly beautiful, I wouldn’t say it’s perfect. There are some design and business choices that may hold it back from reaching the height of Instagram. The platform is very geared towards creators and artistic content right now. It’s not the app to share your vacation photos with grandma. They will need to change the platform a bit I think if they want to get a mass amount of users. Having said that, I love it and I hope more people will join Vero. One thing to keep in mind is if you want to join Vero then join it now, because after they reach 1 million users they are planning to make it a paid social service, but the first million users will get to use the platform for free forever.

I have also been using Twitter more this year. Now not bringing Elon Musk into the equation, I found Twitter was a good platform because 1) I could easily choose to use a chronological timeline, and 2) I found a lot of value on Twitter in the thoughts that are shared there by the people that I follow. Now bring Elon into the equation (and not going into depth on my thoughts about him), the one thing I’m worried about with his plans for Twitter is that he mentioned how he’s going to add an algorithm that will prioritize the tweets of the users who pay to be verified. Now I think I understand why he’s doing this, but I still don’t like any use of an algorithm that affects what I see so if he does implement this algorithm then that will be the end of Twitter for me.

Oh I’ve also been using LinkedIn for business more.

I think there is still room out there for a better social media platform that really connects people. The way I see it, social media should be like a bridge. It’s a place where we cross paths but we don’t spend our lives living on the bridge. A good bridge takes us somewhere. In the case of social media, a well designed platform should take us to places where we connect and build relationships in the real world. Facebook used to be really good at that. Instagram was too to an extent. But they changed and started hindering connection more than growing it.

The last platform I want to talk about is Substack. That’s the platform that I use to share this newsletter with you. While it’s not a social media platform, it’s not just a newsletter platform either. It’s become it’s own thing which is really cool. It’s like a social blog letter platform.

Out of all the new platforms out there, Substack is the one I see really getting big. It’s already starting to get more widely known. As an example, when I mention Vero 0% of the people I mention it to have ever heard of it, where as with Substack I’d say at least 25% of the people know about it and I’m pretty sure that number is going to continue to grow. Unlike the other platforms, Substack is truly innovating and I believe the people making Substack have the right intentions. It seems they are constantly adding new beneficial features that really improve the platform. What I think it’s got going for it is that Substack allows depth of thought and unrestrained expression that isn’t present on social media and the tools they are creating is making it easier and easier to grow and connect. I really love what they are doing and can’t wait to see where the platform goes.

Here are somethings you should know about Substack. You can find all my past letters on my page. If your only experience with Substack is reading my letters, then I encourage you to check out the Substack website. There you can browse and find many other writers who write about lots of different topics. My favourite Substack that I recommend is

Abundantia

(click their name to go check them out).

Substack

also has their own great newsletter which they release frequently with news, views, stories featuring writers and a lot more.

There is also a Substack app which you can download on to your phone. If you get the app, then you can access the Substack Chat which is a special feature just on the phone. The purpose of the Substack Chat is to create more community. If you download the app you can access my Substack Chat and we can have some fun with conversation prompts, quotes, games, movie reviews, interesting things and more!

With all the features of Substack and the wonderful potential it has for growth, I’m really thinking about focusing my efforts on Substack in 2023. I think I have some cool ideas, and I really want to write more. This might be surprising to some but if I had to just pick one thing to do and make a living at it that thing would be writing. And it’s possible to do that with Substack. Many writers are making a living just writing on Substack by having a paid subscription model. So I’d like to see if I can make that happen and like I said I think I have some cool ideas.

I won’t be having an official paid subscription model right away. I don’t plan on doing that until I have at least 1000 subscribers. I’m going to start off though with a monthly donation option. So if you’d like to see more of my writing and support me then please consider subscribing with a monthly donation of $5. I will really appreciate it! If enough people do this it will help me find the time to be able to share more writing with you. Once I do launch an official paid subscription, all my free subscribers will still receive all the regular letters, but my paid subscribers will also get exclusive creative stories I write, big ideas I share, and tips about how to improve your own creativity. I’m thinking of calling it the Creativity Expansion Pack subscription.

So that’s my perspective on social media from the past year and a look at some of the possibilities in 2023. I hope my writing has given you some inspiration or insights over the past year and I plan on sharing even more next year.

How have you been feeling about life and social media this year? What excites you for the new year?

Happy Holidays and Cheers to an awesome New Year!

- Zach