My Instagram Rules of Engagement
Having been back on Instagram for a week now, many people are asking me for my perspectives on the social media platform.
Rather than spend all of the time necessary to individually speak to the dozens of people asking for my opinions, I thought I would share a few thoughts on the blog.
I have been off Instagram for about five years.
I remember quitting it when I was on a two-week trip to Vietnam. Halfway through the trip, I was growing a little annoyed with myself. I felt like I was basing my activities and actions on what would be good for sharing with friends back home on Instagram. I wanted to be present in Vietnam and absorb it instead of communicating with the same people I always interacted with.
The last straw was when I was sitting at a beachside bar having a beer near Hoi An. A couple on the beach in front of me was fighting. Then they suddenly stopped arguing so the woman could take a selfie of the two of them kissing to post to Instagram. After that they went right back to fighting.
For me, it was an, “aw come the f*ck on” moment. And I deleted the app. And for the last five years, I haven’t regretted the decision. I’ve been more productive and generally happier without the distraction. I think social media can disconnect you from the real world. I think it has made it more difficult for many people to interact in person. And it can lead you to think other people are living a better life than they are, in turn making you less satisfied with yours.
But now I’m a world-famous blogger.
So I have rationalized a new approach. I want to find ways to share my many gifts with the world.
I’ve returned, at least temporarily, to Instagram. Yes, under my real, full name. The greatest secret on the internet is finally out.
Immediately upon being back on and posting a couple of times, I can feel the magnet of being pulled back into it. Of wanting to check and see if people are seeing it or liking it or “reeling” it, whatever that is.
Moreover, I forgot how people interact with Instagram in different ways. And having changed much of my way of being over the last five years, I’m thinking a little differently about the platform and how to use it this time around.
I think many users use Instagram casually to interact with friends and are well-intentioned about this. But I also am put off by “lurkers”, so to speak. Those that are too afraid of missing out to abstain, but who are also scared to express themselves, and even look down on those that do.
But there are also the Power Users: Those that are on it and own it. They learn how to use it and Instagram becomes an outlet for their creative expression. It’s a tool, and it looks like it can be a fun one.
I’ve decided that if I am going to lower myself from being an abstainer to a user, I should learn how to use it well. And use it enthusiastically until I decide it’s not my thing.
So I’m taking some time to figure out the tools and plan to freely post and interact. I am especially interested in using it as a gateway to learning video creation. Let’s see what happens.
But I still believe social media can be inherently bad for you.
It can be a distraction from more important tasks. It can make you feel bad if you see you are missing out. It also lends itself to pulling you into a vicious cycle of caring what other people think about you and your life.
So I need to create some guard rails. I want to approach it like I would any constructive pursuit.
In Austin Kleon’s book for creatives, Show Your Work, he discusses how he uses social media:
“A lot of social media is just about typing into boxes. What you type in the box often depends on the prompt. Facebook asks you to indulge yourself, with questions like ‘How are you feeling?’ or ‘What’s on your mind?’ Twitter’s is hardly better: ‘What’s happening?’ I like the tagline at dribbble.com: ‘What are you working on?’ Stick to that question and you’ll be good. Don’t show your lunch or your latte; show your work… I like to work while the world is sleeping, and share [on social media] while the world is at work.”
I like this framework and it suits my dual purpose of promoting my blog while also allowing me to get real-time feedback on whether what I am working on is interesting to others.
So my Instagram Rules of Engagement will be:
Check it in the morning, around the same time I’m doing my daily Quora writing and personal writing. I can keep up with other people’s posts at this time.
And then later in the day/evening, if I have something to show, use it to create/post about what I’m working on, reading, or thinking about, or if I’m traveling, what I’m up to that day.
Then I want to try to set it aside. Not check it. And if I catch myself checking it, develop a mental anchor where that reminds me I have free time and can be doing something more in line with my goals.
That’s the same approach I’ve taken to boredom. Whenever I catch myself thinking “I’m bored,” I then look at my daily routine/tasks list and get back to it. Anyway, that’s my plan. I also want to learn more about how to use it effectively, so I enrolled in a Udemy course. Always learnin’.
I’m hoping writing this out and sharing will keep me honest. If it doesn’t, right back into the darkness I will go.