Your depiction of the algorithm is too accurate unfortunately. I’m sorry about your experiences.
The only social media platforms i’m on are YouTube and Substack because these platforms feel like a safe space to me. What has helped me break away has been keeping my phone in a seperate room. I’m able to focus and perform tasks way better this way.
I think it’s really thoughtful that you took the time to acknowledge the author’s experience and apologize even though you weren’t at fault. That level of caring makes this a worthwhile space.
Sorry if this is too long. Up until this past year I was completely a consumer of content/media that was produced but always a fan of people's creativity. And when I launched my business I decided to use social media as a means of more connection with people and I was attmepting to be more open online.
This was the beginning of the end. I'm creating things so I'm very creative which is great but also it opened me up to the endless chase of creating regularly and keeping up. Daily posting and such. It was beginning to become too heavy so I have to take breaks. I'll make videos fir a few weeks and then take a few off and thats been the healthy balance I've been able to strike. It's not perfect by any means but I'm constantly trying to refine it while continuing to remain genuine and enjoy the process of creation rather than chasing an ever changing algorithm
Thanks, as always for creating work that resonates so deeply. I felt this, because I recently started a community platform for exploring the art and culture of African countries through conversations with people and artists linked to them, and the conversations have been so beautiful and insightful.
However, the algorithms are such a strange concept to deal with. It’s hard to be visible even to my own followers. My content also does not fit the mould of what is trending on social media— it requires people to slow down and listen to the nuances in the clips; and perhaps to watch the full conversations on YouTube after. But, the attention span is really an issue, even for 1 minute clips. I also don’t want to have to format the clips in generic, trending ways to get attention (bold text, click bait-titles etc), because that style doesn’t feel authentic to me.
I try to focus on individual interactions with people who value what is being made, and on a personal level, I limit my use of these apps to when I’m posting. I also try to train my attention span by reading/ interacting with long-form content on Substack! Hoping we leave this twilight zone state soon!
I love this production, it's beautiful. The rise of AI and how the algorithm steal our language and voices gives me chills sometimes. In my worst moments I think, what is the point of creating? But that is why we must. I don't create online much, but I try to set limits on my time online before some the lack of nuance seeps into my art.
It seems as if having a healthy relationship with social media means not having success on the platform. Catering to the algorithm, especially if our genuine approach runs counter to how it operates, leads to an unhealthy relationship.
The stealing of content, however, and other people making money from it…if that happened to me, my guess is that I would explain to my audience what has happened and ask them to follow me on a safer platform. That seems risky but those who really value what I offer, I think would follow me. Those who don’t aren’t really helping my cause anyway. So it’s probably not that much of a loss.
I put a ‘0 minute’ time limit on TikTok (meaning I can’t even open it 😻) bc I see myself always on there whenever I come home from Uni. I do use Instagram, mainly for communication and…reels if I’m getting spammed.
I really want to create. I wanna post on YT, however, the rise of AI is killing my mood. The potential of someone taking my face to do God knows what, my voice for scams and what not. I don’t want my fear and overthinking win over my strength and capability since there are millions of people not letting themselves down. Still having problems dealing with these thoughts
As of late, I've been falling victim to "doomscrolling" much more than I'd like to admit. Recognizing the mindless addiction of just opening social media whenever there is a moment of space in the day. I have thrown my phone across the room because I am so irritated by it, my relationship with it, society's relationship with it. Opening an app with one intention and the algorithm getting a hold of me and before I know it, I forgot what I originally opened it for. Conflicted feelings about the idea of getting inspired by the art I'm consuming vs the time it takes away from me creating my own art. I think there is a lot of value in social media but it's becoming increasingly important to have boundaries around it. I am gradually getting better at having time/day blocks - and paying attention to what actually feels worth consuming and what feels icky (which led me to Substack, it actually feels good here).
I am really grateful for people such as you who use your socials to share such relatable and powerful art. It's interesting to me that we have shifted into a world where most of the social media consumption is not about people we know IRL anymore. I have mixed feelings about that too but that's a longer conversation. Thank you for sharing, already looking forward to the next one:)
This is so timely, have been having conversations with friends around social media, our relationships with it and how much “control” we truly have over how we choose to consume/ create.
Putting things in place helps , but I struggle with the TikTok algorithm. I will be putting a pause on that one for now.
I've have had many many high moments on social media and at one point it was a driving factor of my career and incredibly lucrative. These days I've scaled back as I refine who I am and what I want I want to offer my audience that isn't closely tied to trends and 7 second videos of nothing. I've been navigating gatekeeping myself, because I don't feel as compelled to share so much about me personally. I'm approaching my social as more of a mood board these days, and actually have a great interest in returning to YouTube. I love what you said here: "Put things in places where you'd like to be found." I'm holding that close to me, you're a gem Nneka xoxo
Earlier this year, I unceremoniously (without a dramatic announcement) decided to fast Substack. When I stepped away, I’d curated a diverse collection of differing voices and opinions so that I wasn’t only exposed to people who thought like I think and believe what I believe.
After returning, I’ve found that the thirsty algorithm has more or less figured me out and keeps a constant stream of “engaging,” content in my timeline. It has its advantages, I may not have seen your post otherwise.
With 25 subscribers, I’m not really sure why I’m even here. It isn’t profitable to me, at least not financially. However, I love reading the multitude of stories with which I connect because of similar life experiences.
Is my relationship with social media healthy? I’m only on two platforms.
I’m as marginalized here as I am in irl. It’s null.
I too, have a weird relationship with social media now. I am a creative who has been told my growth and success is heavily dependent on visibility on social media. And so I have obviously tried to create short-form content.
Then when I became aware of the effects short-form content has on human brains and how much damage its causing I realised that I was contributing to the problem by being a creator. And that's where the push and pull started. 😭
I have halted TikTok completely because of this, but also because they handed content moderation completely to AI (allegedly). And it affected my growth because of the themes of my content. I moved over to IG but after the lawsuit they are once again targeting women-led accounts that are educating millions of women about sexual health.
And it's got me wondering if we belong anywhere or if we just need to be smart and pivot. *internal scream*
Your depiction of the algorithm is too accurate unfortunately. I’m sorry about your experiences.
The only social media platforms i’m on are YouTube and Substack because these platforms feel like a safe space to me. What has helped me break away has been keeping my phone in a seperate room. I’m able to focus and perform tasks way better this way.
I think it’s really thoughtful that you took the time to acknowledge the author’s experience and apologize even though you weren’t at fault. That level of caring makes this a worthwhile space.
Sympathy and empathy goes a long way.
Sorry if this is too long. Up until this past year I was completely a consumer of content/media that was produced but always a fan of people's creativity. And when I launched my business I decided to use social media as a means of more connection with people and I was attmepting to be more open online.
This was the beginning of the end. I'm creating things so I'm very creative which is great but also it opened me up to the endless chase of creating regularly and keeping up. Daily posting and such. It was beginning to become too heavy so I have to take breaks. I'll make videos fir a few weeks and then take a few off and thats been the healthy balance I've been able to strike. It's not perfect by any means but I'm constantly trying to refine it while continuing to remain genuine and enjoy the process of creation rather than chasing an ever changing algorithm
Thanks, as always for creating work that resonates so deeply. I felt this, because I recently started a community platform for exploring the art and culture of African countries through conversations with people and artists linked to them, and the conversations have been so beautiful and insightful.
However, the algorithms are such a strange concept to deal with. It’s hard to be visible even to my own followers. My content also does not fit the mould of what is trending on social media— it requires people to slow down and listen to the nuances in the clips; and perhaps to watch the full conversations on YouTube after. But, the attention span is really an issue, even for 1 minute clips. I also don’t want to have to format the clips in generic, trending ways to get attention (bold text, click bait-titles etc), because that style doesn’t feel authentic to me.
I try to focus on individual interactions with people who value what is being made, and on a personal level, I limit my use of these apps to when I’m posting. I also try to train my attention span by reading/ interacting with long-form content on Substack! Hoping we leave this twilight zone state soon!
I love this production, it's beautiful. The rise of AI and how the algorithm steal our language and voices gives me chills sometimes. In my worst moments I think, what is the point of creating? But that is why we must. I don't create online much, but I try to set limits on my time online before some the lack of nuance seeps into my art.
It seems as if having a healthy relationship with social media means not having success on the platform. Catering to the algorithm, especially if our genuine approach runs counter to how it operates, leads to an unhealthy relationship.
The stealing of content, however, and other people making money from it…if that happened to me, my guess is that I would explain to my audience what has happened and ask them to follow me on a safer platform. That seems risky but those who really value what I offer, I think would follow me. Those who don’t aren’t really helping my cause anyway. So it’s probably not that much of a loss.
I put a ‘0 minute’ time limit on TikTok (meaning I can’t even open it 😻) bc I see myself always on there whenever I come home from Uni. I do use Instagram, mainly for communication and…reels if I’m getting spammed.
I really want to create. I wanna post on YT, however, the rise of AI is killing my mood. The potential of someone taking my face to do God knows what, my voice for scams and what not. I don’t want my fear and overthinking win over my strength and capability since there are millions of people not letting themselves down. Still having problems dealing with these thoughts
As of late, I've been falling victim to "doomscrolling" much more than I'd like to admit. Recognizing the mindless addiction of just opening social media whenever there is a moment of space in the day. I have thrown my phone across the room because I am so irritated by it, my relationship with it, society's relationship with it. Opening an app with one intention and the algorithm getting a hold of me and before I know it, I forgot what I originally opened it for. Conflicted feelings about the idea of getting inspired by the art I'm consuming vs the time it takes away from me creating my own art. I think there is a lot of value in social media but it's becoming increasingly important to have boundaries around it. I am gradually getting better at having time/day blocks - and paying attention to what actually feels worth consuming and what feels icky (which led me to Substack, it actually feels good here).
I am really grateful for people such as you who use your socials to share such relatable and powerful art. It's interesting to me that we have shifted into a world where most of the social media consumption is not about people we know IRL anymore. I have mixed feelings about that too but that's a longer conversation. Thank you for sharing, already looking forward to the next one:)
This is so timely, have been having conversations with friends around social media, our relationships with it and how much “control” we truly have over how we choose to consume/ create.
Putting things in place helps , but I struggle with the TikTok algorithm. I will be putting a pause on that one for now.
I've have had many many high moments on social media and at one point it was a driving factor of my career and incredibly lucrative. These days I've scaled back as I refine who I am and what I want I want to offer my audience that isn't closely tied to trends and 7 second videos of nothing. I've been navigating gatekeeping myself, because I don't feel as compelled to share so much about me personally. I'm approaching my social as more of a mood board these days, and actually have a great interest in returning to YouTube. I love what you said here: "Put things in places where you'd like to be found." I'm holding that close to me, you're a gem Nneka xoxo
Earlier this year, I unceremoniously (without a dramatic announcement) decided to fast Substack. When I stepped away, I’d curated a diverse collection of differing voices and opinions so that I wasn’t only exposed to people who thought like I think and believe what I believe.
After returning, I’ve found that the thirsty algorithm has more or less figured me out and keeps a constant stream of “engaging,” content in my timeline. It has its advantages, I may not have seen your post otherwise.
With 25 subscribers, I’m not really sure why I’m even here. It isn’t profitable to me, at least not financially. However, I love reading the multitude of stories with which I connect because of similar life experiences.
Is my relationship with social media healthy? I’m only on two platforms.
I’m as marginalized here as I am in irl. It’s null.
Hey Nneka,
This is incredible (as always).
I too, have a weird relationship with social media now. I am a creative who has been told my growth and success is heavily dependent on visibility on social media. And so I have obviously tried to create short-form content.
Then when I became aware of the effects short-form content has on human brains and how much damage its causing I realised that I was contributing to the problem by being a creator. And that's where the push and pull started. 😭
I have halted TikTok completely because of this, but also because they handed content moderation completely to AI (allegedly). And it affected my growth because of the themes of my content. I moved over to IG but after the lawsuit they are once again targeting women-led accounts that are educating millions of women about sexual health.
And it's got me wondering if we belong anywhere or if we just need to be smart and pivot. *internal scream*
With an oversharing heart,
Nobuhle