Is Instagram really the problem?
Yesterday, I said I couldn’t wait to deactivate my IG account again.
Today, I’m conflicted.
A few things made me reconsider. It started with this comment from Louise.
“I love your emails, but I missed your face. The connection just isn’t the same.”
I knew this. Hell, I started #randomtalkingvideo in 2017 because I realized how powerful raw and unedited talking videos can be. It’s still the most widely adopted project I’ve ever created and the thing of which I’m most proud.
After I read Louise’s comment, I opened the first pinned post on my page.
It’s a simple request asking people why they follow me. There are more than 250 comments.
You teach people that they are enough, that they have a voice and that there is real value in the message they wish to share with the world. You wake us up to our true power, and all of the outlandish shit you do and say is like you're constantly shaking us to keep us from falling back asleep, all while screaming, "You can do this shit, mother fucker." I've had a lot of amazing teachers over the years. As a musician I studied with some of the most distinguished teachers in the world, professors at Julliard, Eastman and the Paris conservatory. I say all of that to say this - you're the best teacher I've ever had.
@thesovereignapostle
I learn a lot by watching you grapple with finding what actually works, and strive to understand/communicate how and why it works. It’s common enough today to be contrarian when it’s convenient, or over here but not there… never over there. But in your process I feel a kind of rare heretical freedom, a willingness to violate, to sully and trample on holy things, to put people in headlocks and ruffle their hair when they’re being dorks—including yourself. But also, all of this done like it matters.
@devinpkelley
Your posts bring me into the present moment. Always. They make me think, laugh and reflect on who I want to be and how to take up more space. 🤷🏻♀️
@foxwilde
Your words and stance break the bullshit bubble. I get caught in that bubble trying to please everyone unconsciously, but have a conscious desire to break that. I’m getting less fluffy and more real and you often speak what lands as real to me.
@inner_life_creations
I mean, fuck, man. 😔
This is less than .001% of the feedback. These are comments from one post. There are thousands more. My DM’s and email are full of them. It’s everywhere.
If it were just a bunch of people liking my posts, leaving emoji comments, or saying “love your work,” it would be easier for me to disregard.
But how am I supposed to just walk away from a place where I’m creating this much impact?
The fucked up thing is that the volume of this kind of feedback is part of what makes my use of Instagram problematic for me. It’s a lot of responsibility.
I would love to pin my problems on Instagram. If I could, that would make it easy to fix everything that’s wrong with my life. Just get rid of Instagram. Done. All better. I’d be happy. Focused. Productive. My mental health? Stable as fuck. Relationships? Solid.
But that’s obviously not the answer.
Instagram isn’t the problem. The problem is the way I’ve been using it.
This isn’t news. I’ve written and spoken about it a few times.
I’ve made a habit of getting really good at things and building successful businesses. And then, instead of sustaining them, I quit. I convince myself that I’m bored — that my time & talent would be better spent on something new — something shiny.
If I just bail on Instagram after spending years developing my voice and building a coaching & consulting business, it’s no different.
Same ‘ol Ryan. Quitting as a protective measure — before too many people find out. People that might discover I’m full of shit and expose me.
For now, I’m still gonna do what I said. I’m deactivating my account again tomorrow.
I have three projects (an email sequence, Learning Out Loud, and the Unusually Focused Private Client Group) I want to get off the ground. I haven’t yet figured out how to make significant progress moving meaningful work forward while simultaneously using Instagram.
But I’m going to spend some time thinking about how I can use it without going off the rails.
There’s too much evidence of me doing too much good to abandon it.
PS - If you wanna see one of the weirder things I did last year, I recommend checking out my rhetorical reading of Fierce King, one of the finest romance novels ever published. It’s the second highlight at the top of my page.
Do it soon. It’ll be gone tomorrow.