I don’t have Facebook or Instagram pages.
But we can still be friends—actual friends, instead of “I follow you and you follow me but we never see each others’ updates” friends.
To help make that happen, you might:
- Email me to say “hello.” (Please do this. I really like it when people do this.)
- Sign up to receive vibrant monthly emails. (Also a favorite.)
- Opt into the intimacy of weekly updates. (I’d be honored.)
- Or, if snail mail is more your thing, check out the sticker club. (This is a lot of fun.)
Why I don’t have Facebook or Instagram:
- Ever since Zuckerberg’s platforms ditched the chronological timeline in favor of one controlled by an algorithm that’s hell-bent on keeping you on the apps longer, social media isn’t useful for independent artists.
- The algorithm in charge of Facebook and Instagram promotes hate.
It doesn’t matter how much you post or how beautiful your work is, if you don’t already have an audience, it’s almost impossible to convince the computer program running things that it should show your content.
The apps’ computer overlord rewards content that gets a lot of engagement, and that includes posts that provoke violence. This remains the case despite public outcry demanding change.
But just because I refuse to participate in the Zuckerverse doesn’t mean I think you have to cancel your accounts!
As this video from just as I was deleting the Zuckerverse makes clear, I’m passionate about helping people escape social media if that’s the right choice for them. There’s plenty of info about ditching Facebook and Instagram on my blog:
- How the Zuckerverse cheats you out of your creativity.
- How to cancel Facebook and Instagram without offending people.
- What to say to people who defend the Zuckerverse’s privacy violations.
- The one thing you must do when you’re getting off of social media.
- What to expect in the first few months after deleting.
- How to get art opportunities when you’ve canceled the Zuckerverse.
- How to find and follow artists without Instagram.