I deleted all my pics from my personal IG account. I’ll go on there for fashion inspo and to post a few moments of my life but it’s super draining. It reminds me of what I don’t have and I’m not too fond of it.
But PINTEREST and TUMBLR?!
WOULD NEVER FAIL ME FOR AUTHENTICITY! I love it. It motivates and inspires me. It’s nostalgic because I can scroll through old posts from my college years.
I get on FB for my job mainly but now I keep in contact with family I don’t see much on there.
I never had a tumblr phase but have seen many recycled posts on other social media platforms and honestly love the vibe. I LOVE pinterest though! It's just pretty pictures and there are no chronological feed or posts from accounts that you could miss. i do follow a couple of accounts but the focus is more on the pictures themselves and not the accounts. I also revisit my boards and pins for inspiration quite often.
Another solution for a more authentic Internet experience is literally just using it less (in the sense of being less chronically online and embracing JOMO). I'm honestly sick of scrolling infinite feeds and worrying about missing out on some perfect piece of inspo or pithy life changing quote that I'll actively have to remember to revisit (yes, this definitely includes Substack notes). Ruthless curation of what you're consuming is key. Delete, mute, and unsub to your heart's content and remember to reread and revisit!
pinterest is the place to be!! and yes I definitely agree that just being offline is the best answer, I actually had a whole section on that but deleted it because this piece was getting way too long and had too many tangents lol. honestly I want to tell everyone to shut the WiFi down and start crocheting :) but no you're absolutely right, delete mute unsub, these are the keys to a better internet experience
i've been on tumblr since 2020, and let me tell you, it's like the healthiest social media out there. at least to me. it really feels like that "old internet" you mencioned, because there are no influencers or companies trying to sell stuff, it's just real people talking about their hobbies and favorite things. maybe i just curated my feed very well, but in my experience, it feels like a big community of friends sharing inside jokes and showing off the thing they made.
idk, i just think tumblr is a rare gem in the current state of the internet.
that's the exact vibe I get from it to, I'm almost annoyed I wasted so many years on insta when I could have just stayed on tumblr! I think the no influencers and no one trying to sell useless products on there is a real factor for why it feels so different, you're right it's a true gem
I have not been on Tumblr since 2020 but was on it for many, many years. (I started my first Tumblr in 2010.) I did not end up liking the person it made me become. Eventually my feed was just full of toxic hivemind bullshit. I don't know what it's like now, but I have a hard time imagining it's changed much. The thought of going back to it makes my stomach churn.
I also can't deal with Pinterest because all it does is lob ads at me. And it's very good at knowing what I like. I have spent too much money because of ads from Pinterest and I deleted it last week.
I don't know what I want my internet experience to look like anymore. I'm really enjoying Substack. It reminds me of the old days of blogging in a way, though many Substacks I like are still behind paywalls and I'm just so tired of everything having a paywall. I can't afford to support ALL the creators I like.
This got super negative, eurgh, I'm sorry. I love your posts!!
that's okay! i understand your frustration. i think nowadays you have to find a way to make the internet work for you. although it's all algorithms and AI, we can still tell those algorithms what we want to see, and ad blockers are amazing lol. it's things like choosing not to rely on your recommended/explore/discover pages and only focus on creators you actually follow and subscribe to. and for every paywall, i'm sure there are plenty of similar writers and creators without one! it takes a bit of time but you'll get to a point where the internet doesn't feel so overwhelming anymore and starts to be fun again <3 also thank you for reading and supporting the newsletter !!
I rejoined tumblr about 3 years ago or so and I honestly love how it feels. It’s not overwhelming, I find accounts I’m interested in, I don’t feel pressured to go on there–I don’t have the app on my phone–and whenever I decide to post on there, I’m comfortably shouting into a void and I love it. I’ll be following you on there btw. Love bookish content.
I felt this! The nostalgia of tumblr’s hay day is felt too often. Instagram isn’t what it used to be at all. I think what tumblr did right is that it prioritized pictures and gifs. It’s not overstimulating and it felt like authenticity reigned supreme.
you're definitely right! no short form videos or clunky feeds over there, it's a much better user experience and vibe. thank you for reading and subscribing🩷🩷
I deleted all my pics from my personal IG account. I’ll go on there for fashion inspo and to post a few moments of my life but it’s super draining. It reminds me of what I don’t have and I’m not too fond of it.
But PINTEREST and TUMBLR?!
WOULD NEVER FAIL ME FOR AUTHENTICITY! I love it. It motivates and inspires me. It’s nostalgic because I can scroll through old posts from my college years.
I get on FB for my job mainly but now I keep in contact with family I don’t see much on there.
pinterest and tumblr can never fail us!!! and I love this, this is exactly what I was talking about
I never had a tumblr phase but have seen many recycled posts on other social media platforms and honestly love the vibe. I LOVE pinterest though! It's just pretty pictures and there are no chronological feed or posts from accounts that you could miss. i do follow a couple of accounts but the focus is more on the pictures themselves and not the accounts. I also revisit my boards and pins for inspiration quite often.
Another solution for a more authentic Internet experience is literally just using it less (in the sense of being less chronically online and embracing JOMO). I'm honestly sick of scrolling infinite feeds and worrying about missing out on some perfect piece of inspo or pithy life changing quote that I'll actively have to remember to revisit (yes, this definitely includes Substack notes). Ruthless curation of what you're consuming is key. Delete, mute, and unsub to your heart's content and remember to reread and revisit!
pinterest is the place to be!! and yes I definitely agree that just being offline is the best answer, I actually had a whole section on that but deleted it because this piece was getting way too long and had too many tangents lol. honestly I want to tell everyone to shut the WiFi down and start crocheting :) but no you're absolutely right, delete mute unsub, these are the keys to a better internet experience
This was like a trip down the memory lane. Old insta, FB sigh
i've been on tumblr since 2020, and let me tell you, it's like the healthiest social media out there. at least to me. it really feels like that "old internet" you mencioned, because there are no influencers or companies trying to sell stuff, it's just real people talking about their hobbies and favorite things. maybe i just curated my feed very well, but in my experience, it feels like a big community of friends sharing inside jokes and showing off the thing they made.
idk, i just think tumblr is a rare gem in the current state of the internet.
that's the exact vibe I get from it to, I'm almost annoyed I wasted so many years on insta when I could have just stayed on tumblr! I think the no influencers and no one trying to sell useless products on there is a real factor for why it feels so different, you're right it's a true gem
I have not been on Tumblr since 2020 but was on it for many, many years. (I started my first Tumblr in 2010.) I did not end up liking the person it made me become. Eventually my feed was just full of toxic hivemind bullshit. I don't know what it's like now, but I have a hard time imagining it's changed much. The thought of going back to it makes my stomach churn.
I also can't deal with Pinterest because all it does is lob ads at me. And it's very good at knowing what I like. I have spent too much money because of ads from Pinterest and I deleted it last week.
I don't know what I want my internet experience to look like anymore. I'm really enjoying Substack. It reminds me of the old days of blogging in a way, though many Substacks I like are still behind paywalls and I'm just so tired of everything having a paywall. I can't afford to support ALL the creators I like.
This got super negative, eurgh, I'm sorry. I love your posts!!
that's okay! i understand your frustration. i think nowadays you have to find a way to make the internet work for you. although it's all algorithms and AI, we can still tell those algorithms what we want to see, and ad blockers are amazing lol. it's things like choosing not to rely on your recommended/explore/discover pages and only focus on creators you actually follow and subscribe to. and for every paywall, i'm sure there are plenty of similar writers and creators without one! it takes a bit of time but you'll get to a point where the internet doesn't feel so overwhelming anymore and starts to be fun again <3 also thank you for reading and supporting the newsletter !!
Candice, every time you write about being conscious and purposeful about being on the Internet, my heart sings.
kate!! i will cry at 8 am in the morning!! this is so kind thank you so much my heart is now also singing
Love this post 🤍🤍
thank you🥺
I rejoined tumblr about 3 years ago or so and I honestly love how it feels. It’s not overwhelming, I find accounts I’m interested in, I don’t feel pressured to go on there–I don’t have the app on my phone–and whenever I decide to post on there, I’m comfortably shouting into a void and I love it. I’ll be following you on there btw. Love bookish content.
damn I've been missing out! comfortably shouting into the void is the new goal honestly lol & thank you for the follow 🥺
I felt this! The nostalgia of tumblr’s hay day is felt too often. Instagram isn’t what it used to be at all. I think what tumblr did right is that it prioritized pictures and gifs. It’s not overstimulating and it felt like authenticity reigned supreme.
you're definitely right! no short form videos or clunky feeds over there, it's a much better user experience and vibe. thank you for reading and subscribing🩷🩷