The download button on the app store already is tugging at me to reinstall. And if I'm being honest, I probably will reinstall it at some point. As much as I hate so much structural and policy elements of the app, and the way it snags you into endless scrolling, it does afford access to a community-- one I've spent over a decade cultivating.
But for all it's positive elements of community and inspiration and sharing art and ideas, I can't help but think about how we as a collective of users of that app have for years complained about how it constantly makes choices that we hate-- from updates to the algorithm that make it nearly impossible to see the folks we follow in our feeds, to their policy changes that greenlight their company being able to steal our content in order to train it's AI on our artwork.
All of this has been slowly unfolding over years, but as I think more and more about abolition and community care, this idea that we have to create what we want to see in the world comes to mind. That can be a world in which we don't need carceral systems to “keep us safe” but it can also mean a world in which we don't need a billionaires app to keep us connected.
And the reality is, both of those realities existed before, and can exist again, but it's up to us to build them. I often think about the nascence of blogging, before social media. I started blogging in that era of the 2000's. We built our own communities around our blogs, there were networks we created of audiences, other bloggers we connected with and organized with. We think that same thing isn't possible now because we rely on social media to do the connection and organization for us.
Anyway-- all that to say, Instagram has seemingly put us in a place where we have to choose between building a community from scratch off of their platform, or opting into their app and all the myriad negative elements that come along with that in order to gain access to the community that already is on there. And for many small business owners and artists that's not just a thought experiment, it has real impacts on their ability to make a living selling their art or goods.
So where does that leave me? I know that the access to the community I've built on Instagram is deeply important, not only to my ability to make an income and support my family, but also because that's where my people are. But I'm also tired of living in a way that feels like we're stuck being pawns in a game played by billionaires who only see us as dollar signs, dependent on the scraps they allow us, endlessly complaining about the exploitative platforms they've designed.
And on top of all that, I'd like to model behavior to my kiddo that feels healthy, like not scrolling on social media endlessly. And now that school is out and he's home with me all day every day, I'd rather him watch me being creative than mindlessly opening an app on my phone.
So where will you find me? I think this means I'm going to try returning to blogging, and, you know, maybe actually launching that podcast I said I was going to launch in March 🫣. If you're here and reading this, you're already a part of my community that has detached from Instagram. If Instagram disappeared tomorrow, we'd still be able to connect because of this access via email, which is cool!
So, where can you find me?
One place I'll always be is here on the blog. I own it, I own the content I post on here, there are no dumb algorithms I have to contend with, and it's free for you to access!
Over on my newsletter. I try not to spam you with stuff in your inbox, but I'll do my best to keep you updated on what I'm up to-- maybe a weekly round up of blog posts or something like that? I'm not sure exactly what that would look like but my mental juices are percolating.
Local events! Obviously this is only helpful for folks who live in the Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia area, but I am doing some events this summer! I'll be doing a Pop-Up shop at Hive on the 20th of July, and then I'll have a table at Moms After Dark at the CoLab on August 2nd. I also have a piece that will be featured in the Washington State History Museum's “In The Spirit” exhibit this summer starting July 21st, with the opening reception on the evening of July 20th.
Thanks for being here! In this phase of online interaction where going beyond the easy follow click and scroll routine, investing in community via blogs and newsletters and patreons etc… it really means a lot.
