Let's talk about Instagram.

I just deleted over 1000 posts (all of them) and now - in light of Meta's recent announcement - I'm working out how to approach Instagram creatively. Also, I deleted Facebook and X (nearly).

Took some creative licence here. Instagram know about taking creative licence.

A few years ago, one of my friends asked another of our friends whether Instagram was ‘dead’. I felt a bit panicked, listening in, as much of my work stemmed from Instagram. Journalism commissions, book deals, online course sales.

Also, I liked the platform. I’d made proper friends through Instagram, as well as people I liked messaging in DMs. It felt like a supportive space and it was incredible for information-sharing, community-building and creativity.

The friend replied, in no uncertain terms: yes.

I wanted to challenge her, because what evidence was there that Instagram was dead? Was it dead because she didn’t like it? Thought it wasn’t cool? Couldn’t see a future for it? Or was it actually on the decline?

This friend loitered on Instagram but never properly used it. They didn’t really know the answer to that question and they were just throwing out a casual - but certain-sounding - response. This friend was wrong.

Source: Backlinko

In 2024, Instagram was apparently the most widely downloaded app in the world. Very much alive and kicking. Not just that: it was still working for many us, in terms of sharing our own art or information posts, and enjoying other people’s.

I’ve been on Instagram since 2015. Nearly 10 years. It’s where I shared the first articles I’d uploaded onto my digital magazine. It’s where I started growing a community of women who were interested in my writing. It has been integral to my work.

And for that, I’m grateful. More to the community than the platform itself but the two came together. That’s why I’ve never considered leaving Instagram. That’s why I wanted to help others to fall back in love with the platform.

That’s why I included a module on ‘Using Instagram creatively’ in the first iteration of The Creative Way (to earn a living online) and the second: The Creative Way (to be a freelance writer), which is currently live. Right now, I’m teaching Instagram.

But then Meta (the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp) announced that they would no longer be policing hate speech, following in Musk’s muddy footsteps over on X, and it stopped me in my tracks. I’m not ok with this.

On a very personal level, I’ve been lucky on Instagram. My community has grown steadily but not too big and not too fast and I’ve rarely been trolled. Maybe a handful of times in total. I haven’t firsthand experienced hate speech.

But then, I’m a white, able-bodied, cis, hetero woman.

I’m not ok with my friends or my community being subjected to hate speech - directly or indirectly - and I’m not ok with paying money to a company (via ads) that will allow hate speech under the guise of ‘free speech’.

So, where does this leave me and Instagram?

Well, I read this brilliant piece by

Carson Ellis

called ‘Should I quit Instagram’ and there was a note on Meta granting themselves a licence to use our art however they like. They say we grant them the licence but we don’t, because we do it unknowingly.

I decided to delete all 1000+ Instagram posts on my grid. The poetry, the drawings, the videos where I sing and play piano or recite my poetry. That way, there’s nothing to be ‘used’. I did that two days ago and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

@annieridout on Instagram

Importantly: everything I’ve created that I like is backed up on my phone or website. For a while, I’ve been keen to share poetry in my own online space and not just on other people’s (companies’) websites, so I have a poetry section on annieridout.com.

Cleaning out my Instagram grid felt incredibly therapeutic. I felt like a weight had been lifted. I no longer had that slight niggle that if someone scrolled back through they might find writing I didn’t love, now, or a message I no longer wanted to share.

I’ve done this once before.

A few years ago, I was in hospital with one of my children and while caring for my my child as they struggled to breathe (for four days), I thought: why the fuck am I spending so much of my life online? Why am I sharing real-life in the online world?

Back then, I had over 3000 posts and I spent a few days deleting all of them. I wanted to delete that back-catalogue. There were probably photos of my kids as babies or toddlers, and I wanted them gone. The Telegraph thought it was newsworthy.

I felt like I’d gone a bit mad. I probably had, from the sleep deprivation. But it was also quite a spiritual moment. I was cleansing my digital footprint; wiping away the online traces of my past. I was taking back a piece of the power.

This time, it didn’t take as long to refresh my grid, as there were less posts. But also, you can delete 100 at a time, now. It felt like clearing out a cupboard and recycling/gifting absolutely everything until the cupboard is totally clear.

I felt lighter, fresher, clear-headed. I felt like I wanted to skip. I phoned my husband and told him. He was a bit surprised and later, when he got home, he wanted to talk about it with me. We like to challenge our own habits and share learnings.

This process gave me an opportunity to reflect on my relationship with Instagram, but also social media in general. I started to wonder if we need all that art mounting up, or if we can share in a more transient way (share, delete, share, archive).

I’m not decided on this, yet. I’m still in thinking mode.

Part of my thinking is that I’m going to give my personal website a big injection of attention. I hear Google might be cosying up with X, Meta et al but until then, SEO is worth re-considering (pulling internet traffic direct to our websites from Google).

IRL

Yesterday, I moved the beds and desks around upstairs in my house. I’ve created a third bedroom by turning my office into a bedroom and my bedroom into a slash office. I love moving furniture around and changing the use of a space.

It doesn’t feel incidental that I’m clearing physical space at the same time as online space and looking at how things work. Spring is round the corner and now feels like the time to lighten my load; lighten my life; check in with myself. I feel quite glowy.

Meanwhile…

At the moment, I have people from my freelance writing course emailing me about their own Instagram accounts. I’m enjoying these emails. About their Substacks, too. These two platforms are part of The Creative Way business model I designed in 2024:

And they are part of how I work, as a freelance writer, which is why both Instagram and Substack are included in the new The Creative Way course. They deserve to be there, as they helped - and are still helping - me to earn a living as a writer.

When I teach people about how to use Instagram creatively, I have a topic called Fuck the rules. In it, I tear down the instructions we’re often given (post three times daily, be consistent, niche down etc) and explain that we make our own rules.

(Someone DMd me on Instagram, while I was writing this piece - yes, my writing breaks involve going on Instagram - saying: ‘Just finished your Instagram course - it was great - really loved it and very refreshing from the usual stuff.’ I loved this message.)

I’m all about creativity. Thinking creatively. Responding creatively. Not doing what people necessarily expect. Paving my own way. Being inspired. And, hopefully, sometimes, inspiring others.

I stand by the Instagram part of my course. I still believe it can be approached creatively. It’s still the most used app in the world. It ain’t dead and it ain’t going nowhere fast. So, if you’re cool with it, for now, keep showing up over there.

On the moral stance of the men - it’s all men - running these apps? It’s off. All of them are off. They create compelling, engaging apps but they don’t think about real-world implications, and they don’t present as caring people.

What we need: a female-founded app. With a truly diverse team. My dream: The Creative Way app, where we share our art in a non-addictive, purely for joy way. An app that inspires creativity and definitely doesn’t allow hate speech.

To end:

Some people like to plan things carefully. Some people are considered. Some people would just spend a little bit of time away from Instagram to reassess (post-Meta announcement). But I like to leap before I look, sometimes. Take a risk.

Yesterday, I permanently deleted Facebook. I’m done with it. I’ve realised I no longer need to hear about burglaries or dog attacks in my area. I don’t use the homeschooling groups I’m part of. My heart sinks when I see a Messenger notification.

I tried to delete Twitter/X as well but they have made it more difficult. None of these platforms want us to leave. But it’s up to us. We have the power. We can stay. We can leave. We can return, if we decide to. (I’ve done that twice on LinkedIn. Still hate it.)

Instagram has been my platform for 10 years. I’ve tried so many different things. I’ve had posts go viral and posts that have opened doors. It has helped me to understand the general mood of my community, gauged by people’s responses to posts/Stories.

I have mostly avoided Reels, because I’m a writer and drawer but not a film-maker. Instagram has tried hard to encourage me to do Reels but I’ve resisted. I decide. We have to feel that we have agency, with these platforms. They don’t own us.

I’ll be continuing to post on Instagram, in my own time, in ways that feel aligned with my values and mission (to live and work creatively). If it starts to feel dark, I’ll turn on a torch. If the battery runs out on it, I’ll re-think my relationship with the platform.

You and Instagram

• What do you like about Instagram?

• What do you dislike?

• What works well for you?

• What makes it hard?

• Do you consume, create or both?

• How did you feel about the Meta announcement?

• Who are your top five favourite Instagrammers?

• How would it feel to delete the app and never return?

• How would it feel to continue as you are?

• How would it feel to make a radical change on how you use it?

• What is The Creative Way to use Instagram, for you?

Annie x

annieridout.com