Instagram Manifestos and Why I Made One
January 03, 2021Happy Sunday!
At long last, 2021 has arrived, and with it comes a plethora of New Years resolutions, goals, and ambitions. One resolution in particular I see a lot of content creators take on is tracking social media growth. (In this post, I'll mainly be talking about Instagram.) It makes sense - you want to grow your audience, and coming up with goals and trackers of your follow count can be beneficial.
But I've never been able to really relate to that desire. At this point in my life, I'm not overly concerned with tracking stats and making little graphs of my progress. That isn't really helpful for my Instagram use. Instead, I've adapted something I like to call an Instagram Manifesto.
Yes, it sounds like something right out of a Mission Impossible movie, but it's actually been extremely useful as I plan out how I want to use Instagram this year.
First off, what is an Instagram Manifesto?
For me, it's basically a mission statement for how I want to use Instagram. The idea is that, whenever I get on the app, I want to only use it in the ways listed in the manifesto. Anything else is either a waste of time, very draining, or both.
Over the past few months, I've found myself gravitating towards Instagram as a place of procrastination. I never really understood the "hours scrolling" metaphor until I ended up literally scrolling through memes for hours. I never left those hours feeling productive or happy. If anything, they made me feel worse about myself, because Instagram culture, especially the anime and fandom culture I tend towards, drains me socially and emotionally.
In the last week of 2020, I ended up completely deleting the app from my phone and the bookmark from my laptop because I just felt so tired of the Internet.
I didn't get Instagram because I wanted to feel drained, though. I didn't get Instagram to scroll through stupid, unfunny memes for hours. I got Instagram because . . . well, you can just read my manifesto for yourself.
For me, Instagram is a place for me to hone my photography skills, to talk about books and other story-related passions, and to connect with old friends and make new ones. It should be used as a nice break from work and a good way to catch up with people who I rarely see.
That's my manifesto, right there. It covers every positive reason I got the app, and it only includes those things that won't drain me in a negative way. Anything that isn't on the manifesto, isn't worth doing.
And even in the few days I've been back on Instagram, it's helped tremendously. I've been able to stay more focused on using the positive aspects of the app and avoiding the negative ones. I've barely looked at memes, which, believe me, was a significant time drain. And I've felt less drained in general.
Obviously, a manifesto can't do everything, and I'm sure in the coming weeks that my motivation to utilize it will shrink significantly. BUT now I have guidelines that I can at least try to follow, even if I fail and begin the endless scroll again.
If you have good self-control with social media, you probably don't need to create a manifesto. But if you're like me and easily distracted, having a manifesto could be the motivation you need to stay focused. It's also more helpful for me, since I'm trying to focus on making more personal connections rather than gaining lots of followers that I never interact with. As a result, trackers and graphs aren't really a good way for me to see my Instagram account. If you're the same way, maybe draw up a mission statement.
In 2021, I really want to be intentional with my social media usage, and I'm hoping this is the first step towards that goal. Because if I spend one more hour mindlessly going through Instagram Reels, I think I might die. XD
Anyways, I hope some of you found this remotely helpful! And even if you didn't . . . well, I hope you enjoyed my semi-rant about my lack of self-control. Social media can be so fun, but more often than not it's a nuisance. It's a battle we have to fight in order to balance the good with the bad. *sighs*
-Nicole <3
How do you manage your Instagram usage? Why did you get the social media apps you use? Any social media goals for 2021? Let's talk!
26 comments
This is a great way to think about Instagram/social media!
ReplyDeleteI think for me, my Instagram manifesto has changed since I started. Initially I just wanted to talk about books, but I just got so bored with that. I think now, I want to share photography, stuffies, and books. And, other than that? I basically just want my feed to look nice.
Great post Nicole! I needed that reminder.
Hey, that sounds like a good manifesto to me! It never hurts to change it up when it's not working, and it sounds like you've figured it out! (And I love seeing your feed <3)
DeleteAw, thank you! I'm glad it served as a good reminder. :D
Aaaahhhh, Nicole! I love this SO MUCH!!! What a refreshing, beautiful way to look at social media goals! And, actually, this perfectly aligns with some social media thoughts I've been having lately. This is so timely!
ReplyDeleteOne of my goals for 2020 was to hopefully reach 1k followers on IG and...I didn't even come close to making that. But you know what? I'm totally fine with that. Because what I DID do is make lots of new friends and connections on there, and that is far more valuable to me than a high number. Because that's really what social media should be about: making connections. I'd far prefer that over some crazy follow count of thousands of random strangers any day! Social media should help us make friends and enhance our lives, not be a constant burden.
So YES. I can't even express how much I love this and I will absolutely be taking this wonderful advice as I make my goals this year. Thank you so much for sharing! <3
Ahhhh, THANK YOU! I'm so happy this was timely for you!! :D
DeleteWoo-hoo, congratulations on making new friends on IG last year!!! That's such a great accomplishment, and it's so much more valuable than tons of strangers following you. <3
Good luck on those social media goals, and I can't wait to see what you continue to post on IG! :D
This is such a good idea! I want to be more intentional with how I use certain platforms too. I'm going to do this!
ReplyDeleteYay, I hope it helps in some way! :D
DeleteI love this idea! I've struggled in my life with Instagram/social media usage as well, even though I don't have an account--I "piggyback" on my family's farm account.
ReplyDeleteAfter giving up Instagram for Advent this past year and finding that really fruitful, I think I'm going to move forward with the resolution to only look at social media on the weekends, which is so far working well for me. :)
Wow, your family has a farm IG account? That's really cool!
DeleteAhhhh, that sounds like a good plan. I'm glad it's working out for you so far! :D
ah i love this post!! ♥️ this is something i've been struggling with - i've been feeling really drained and exhausted, and frustrated with my inability to control the endless scrolling. i've set screen time limits, but it hasn't been working. i'm definitely going to sit down & write out my manifesto, and hopefully that will help.
ReplyDelete♥️
I FEEL YOU. It can be so hard to resist the temptation of endless scrolling. But I hope writing out clear intentions will help! You've got this <3 <3
DeleteI need one of those for Pinterest. Instagram hasn't really drained me yet (too new) but Pinterest does....too many mental health tips and silly stories.
ReplyDeleteOh, heavens, I can definitely see that - I've been too scared to get Pinterest for that reason. XD Good luck!
DeleteOooooooh! I absolutely adore this idea of creating an instagram manifesto!!! I...never even considered the possibility of doing this? But now I'm definitely going to think about drawing one up for myself.
ReplyDeleteSocial Media is such a difficult thing for me, because on the one hand, I'd like to completely disengage myself from it entirely (whenever I take breaks from it, I always feel so much better and less mentally/emotionally drained than when I'm on it), but at the same time, writers have to be continually building their community and author platform, and the best way to do that is through social media, and it's just???? *insert massive confusion here* So something I'm DEFINITELY looking to do this year is figure out a healthy balance for myself!
Thank you so much for sharing this!!! I'm definitely going to consider writing a manifesto for my social medias!!
(also, this may sound weird, but DUDE. I'm trying to write this comment, but I keep getting distracted by all the photos scrolling along the bottom of the screen and--MY DEAR BEAN. YOU ARE SO TALENTED WITH PHOTOGRAPHY????? I'm kind of in love with your photos. XD)
You should try it!! I haven't been COMPLETELY successful in following it so far (XD) but it's definitely helped :D
DeleteOh my goodness, I'm the exact same way! It's so hard to find that balance between ditching social media completely and using it enough to effectively build a platform and community. *confusion intensifies*
But you can definitely figure out that balance this year - I'm rooting for you! :D
(um, THANK YOU???? I've never thought that I was good at photography at ALL, so that means so much to me <3 <3 <3)
Ooh, this is a really neat idea. I completely get what you're saying about the whole "scrolling for hours" thing. I never thought I'd do it, but I have become a little bit addicted, although it's gotten better recently. I don't have Instagram at the moment, but I might at some point, so, if I do, I'll definitely take your advice. Great post, by the way.
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm glad it's gotten better for you - but yessss, scrolling can become really addicted. Thank you!
DeleteThat is an awesome idea! I feel ya about the time wasting and meme scrolling, lol
ReplyDeleteUgh, it's SO EASY to do it and so unproductive/disheartening XD
DeleteLove this idea! One of my big goals for this year is to practice using my time more intentionally, and that includes Instagram. While it is nice seeing my follower count go up, what I really want to focus on is making connections and having conversations that matter. I FEEEEL YOUR PAIN on the scrolling thing. -_- There's honestly not a worse feeling than "waking up" after X amount of time and realizing you've wasted every minute scrolling through useless things. Trying to work on avoiding doing that. xD
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post and I wish you all the best with your manifesto! <3 (which sounds super cool and intriguing xD)
theonesthatreallymatter.blogspot.com
AMEN TO ALL OF THAT!! You've got this, you can totally achieve avoidance of scrolling! (why was that so poorly worded XD) But I really hope that you can use your time on IG more intentionally!!! <3 <3
DeleteI totally feel you on Instagram usage. I definitely got on wanting to connect with likeminded people, but I've found myself winding up in parts of Instagram I couldn't care less about (yet somehow I manage to spend hours there). I definitely want to spend less time messing around on there and make my time more intentional when interacting with people.
ReplyDeleteIG usage is such a mixed bag, and I definitely wind up in those same places. But I hope we both can figure out how to make our IG time more intentional and meaningful! :D
DeleteThat is a GREAT Manifesto! I am very new to IG and SM in general so I haven't quite fallen into the trap of mindlessly scrolling, lol. I hope I can keep from doing it. XD Pinterest is my biggest time waster though, I hop on to look for inspiration for my WIP and next thing I know I'm looking at cute kitties or fandom memes! XDDD
ReplyDeleteWelcome to IG!! :D And yeah, if at all possible, don't fall into the scrolling! It's such a drain in every respect. Oof, yeah, that's exactly why I'm too scared to get Pinterest. I'll never get anything done then! (but cute kitty pictures are always worth it XD XD XD)
DeleteI don't have an Instagram account, but this is so applicable to do many other things! Great tips!
ReplyDeleteI so agree - a lot of social media tips can be applied across other areas! :D
DeleteWelcome to the comment section! I love hearing what you guys think and seeing you guys talk. Just remember to keep it clean, and as always, check back for my replies! <3
-Nicole