You hit the nail on the head about the inspiration. Social media will suck you into scrolling under the guise of “getting inspired”, but it can exhaust you to the point of you not actually creating anything. Just living through someone else’s creations. I love your idea.
This is one of the most bubbly, nerdy, geeky and interesting views on the topic, leaving or minimizing social media use. Cool video. Good luck on your journey and website.
I called it a few weeks ago myself, this is the best move right now. Not selling your soul for the next social app just for them to switch up on you and start charging you for exposure. I love how you made it uniquely you!
Seems like a double edge sword. Art TH-camrs thrived off of making content around getting better engagement on social media. Are those videos now void?
@@DB-ug3nf of course they're not void, they still have value and represent real parts of the artist's passion and soul in everything they share, and have real value for the people that watch them. Many incredible things have come out of youtube. The problem isn't the creators or the viewers, it's the medium they're hosted on, youtube and other sns, that use slot machine mechanics and analytics to get viewers and creators addicted to spending more and more time on their platforms. "Engagement" and "content"... for every penny a creator makes, every single like and subscriber they gain, youtube is making money, and that is the crux of their business model. It seems like a lot gen Z is starting to get fed up with being used for these cycles and are turning away from them with vigor and purpose, so our new tasks are 1. finding ways to maintain these break ups with sns, since I think a lot of people end up coming back, and 2. building a new ecosystem where the underlying driver isn't hooking, draining, exploiting etc. Turning your art into a sustainable and fulfilling career has always been extremely extremely difficult. With the recent emergence of AI and the possible trend of gen Z moving away from sns, I think artists in particular are going to have an even harder time in the coming years. But I have faith in them and I hope you do to!!
Used to think the same, but Bluehost, as of last year, took a page from social apps & instead of honouring their original unlimited site hosting/unlimited data plan, they now only offer 2 sites and 2, that's right ONLY 2, GB of data. As in 2 GB total, shared across both sites. Now if you want the old unlimited plan they charge you something like $700. At least they did. That was some sort of apology/initial offer, so they probably charge even more for it now.
honestly, I haven't seen such a sincere person on youtube in a long time. I really enjoyed this topic, your approach and attitute. we've gotten so used to fast pacing, no mistakes, edited, info bombarding videos and this felt like life (and my brain) slowed down for a while. it's so soothing. ❤
This is actually so real. 11:01 when you said “we’re not even getting the proper time to reflect and incorporate these ideas into our art” wow. I feel like I needed to hear that. I’ve been using social media as a crutch for inspiration for so long. I used to draw day and night as a kid- fanart, ocs, nature, I got inspired so easily. I got my first phone/device in 9th grade and since then I’ve drawn less and less consistently even tho it’s my greatest passion and one I’ve turned into a career. Social media has made me live in other peoples art, become an observer rather than creator. Despite all these reasons I still tell myself maybe I’ll make an art account and post my own stuff- or what will I use as inspiration if not videos. Social media is poisoning my creativity. I wanna be bored again, I wanna have ideas again, I wanna play store with wood chips at the park again. Thank you for the wake up call and amazing video.
Wow this was the final push I needed. Just all of what you both said resonated so deeply. I'm ready to get off. I had already begun the processing of detaching as I stopped posting years ago for my mental health but I still kept coming back as a creative "who needed inspiration" and just loved browsing other people's art but the truth is it was and still is just an addiction and an unhealthy overconsumption of inspiration and I grew wholly insecure of my creative abilities as a result. I'm finally ready to break the cycle ❤
I'm already 11:05 into the video. I wanted to share that before social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we millennials had a phase called blogging. It's similar to vlogging, but it uses words and pictures. For me, it was the best way to document your life without distractions because there weren't any curated photos or constant ads popping up. I used to use Blogspot, and it was refreshing to read people's perspectives on various topics they wanted to share, rather than seeing friends on Facebook reposting content from influencers instead of sharing original ideas. That's why I prefer TH-cam, as it still shows the vulnerability of people sharing their thoughts, much like blogging. Anyway, thanks for sharing this content because it seems that a lot of people like you wanted to go back and creating their own blog/website to store memories, share content and make connections.
You brought back memories...I am a 90s "early Gen Z" and Blogging was so popular among us young people, even I tried it at some point. I remember the most popular girl in the school had a fashion/makeup blogspot and we were all stalking it. 😆
*(Old millennial voice)* this is what we used to do in the early '00s! Build our lil webbed sites. Gonna make a neocities one for my art. Thanks for sharing. Your site is cute!
Neocities??? Awesome!!! I used to have a geocities account... we should bring back the Webrings and the RSS feeds too :D (and I am not kidding, at least not about the RSS)
I used to have a blog when I was a teen and it was a lot of fun (actually I had 2). I had practically 0 readers so it was basically for me, which frustrated me at the time, but now I see it as a blessing. I rarely post on social media and when I want to say something I usually do it on tumblr, but it would be nice to see other people's sites and what they come up with. I feel like we should take the internet back to ourselves! Stop using the same 5 sites everyday and inject a little more personality back on this thing that grows more corporate each passing day.
Same, I had a blog on blogger of my readings I was in love of what HTML could do; for me it was entertaining to understand code while personalizing everything, I also tried that with Tumblr but I have no time to do it, either way I love the idea of going back to those blessing days
I think a lot of people are moving in this direction. A bunch of Twitter artists have realized the severe limitations of social media and its "one person ultimately controls everything for everyone" version of the internet. You can't build a reliable business on that. Social media is 20 years old, now. It's not "the future" any more. It kinda sucks. We can all do better by ourselves.
As an old person with a (supposedly) fully developed brain I think that this is a brilliant idea. Sharing your art in a way that fits you instead of what social media dictates makes so much sense. I think your website looks great and I'm now off to make my own. As is everyone who watched this video!
@@dumbphonemom also algorithms are changed now and people who relied on social media to make a living are going bankrupt because nobody sees their work
I mean this in the nicest way possible, and not to arm chair diagnose. But feeling like you never developed/matured like your peers is often a symptom of some type of neuro-divergencey. Knowing what your personal quirks are can really help with functioning in a modern world that ironically defies our bodies evolutions in nearly every way. (Speaking as a person who was early diagnosed with siblings whom were diagnosed late in life). Agree completely with your viewpoint though. Much love.
Dude, that's a seriously bold move in this day and age! Respect for breaking away from the noise and carving out your own online space. Feels like the start of something fresh and authentic. Makes me wonder what awesome stuff you're gonna put on that website - excited to see it!
I've been on the internet since '96 and I really miss the days of a simple internet that was really personal. Like hoping around "web rings" and finding someones x-files fan fiction and spending the night invested in that. The blog era from 2006-2010 is also missed, sadly consolidating everything into social media apps/sites dilutes ones creativity and people start hive minding. Love your site keep it up.👍
Yess I have also been on the internet since 96ish. I miss chat rooms, online poetry journals, and the authenticity. I can see how this all changed with Facebook. When MySpace was big, we could customize the entire profile page and then fb made it all uniform and the same, similarly to Apple vs android. I miss self expression and authenticity. Aesthetics trends now are the result of people wanting to escape the monotony and trying to self express again
Yeah - nice to see some interest again - I used to have a website but got lazy about maintaining it - Livejournal gave me free hosting and a nice amount of control. I used to have free hosting through Uni for my personal site in college. Anyway, the sameness of modern social media was all about building a userbase of people who were not computer enthusiasts or creatives.
Omg the blog era with blogspot! I mean we can wholeazz make a pretty website for a blog back then (although I used to just copy templates but it gave me an idea how to code a layout so in time I was making my own, even though it was just simple) I hope this era comes back, it really brings out the creativity in everyone.
You brought so many more valid points than any other video about deleting social media, this conversation felt like a chat with a friend. Thank you for the tips and advices
As someone trying to get a job in web development and dealing with social media/TH-cam addiction this video found me at the right time. Thank you for the motivation 🙏🏻
You are adorable! I clicked on this video because I am always waiting to hear that social media is over! I haven't posted anything in a few years, and I have been thinking about how I'm going to need to relaunch everything to relaunch youtube and publish my books and grow my email list and all the things we now have to do, but honestly the new culture of self promotion is just not interesting to me.
I don't mean relaunch old content I just mean my channels. I guess I could also delete. Not sure what the benefit would be either way.@@rapunzelred9055
The algorithm is definitely working. I’ve never been the biggest fan of social media but there are very specific aspects that I enjoy, so I’ve been leaning toward creating a personal site for years now. It’s currently in the works and is sort of like a blog but even more personalized. I suggest more people do this as well. Love how your site came out!! 💖
@@SabrBloomandGlow I feel like it’s taking me forever to figure out how I want to set it up but once I do, I’d love to share! Thanks for asking, that just motivated me even more :)
This is honestly so wholesome and I'm here for it. I'm glad more and more people are seeing the toxicity of social media and finding ways to share with the world without the addictive digital experience. You go!!!
Excellent point! Being bored actually makes a lot of us more creative, and that kind of creativity is more personal and unique, unlike the creativity of sameness that a lot of people are showing in apps like TikTok.
The fact that you're so emotional about it really makes this video mean so much. I think this video can be related to by everyone. In each chapter there is something for anyone in their own journey in life.
I did this for the entire year 2023, the site also worked as a diary of dreams and reports from my art studio, every day I added updates on projects I was developing in my photographic work and references, it's a great way to maintain discipline and develop creativity. I will return with the website in March but now I will also start posting on TH-cam. I don't have any social media either. 
What do you consider a social network? Is TH-cam a social network? and telegrams? What's the point of that? Watching a video on TH-cam? like and subscribe? lol
@@permaculture-mini-farmTechnically youtube is a social network, so is reddit, even zoom if you really want to go there. But its more-so the doomscroll/social gauging apps like Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok etc that are really harmful beyond any meaningful reason.
I love how passionately you feel when you talk about this. Very few people will take the time to list out reasons, give experiences and feel so deeply when talking about something like this. I’ve been wanting to get back to creating for so long but I’ve been stuck. I look back at my old art and see so much potential and creativity and wondered where it all went and never thought it to be social media. I’ve had a phone since I was 8 and I’m 20 now… I’ve been blaming myself for my lack of creativity for so long, so thank you for this. I needed a call to action and this was it.
Your mannerisms remind me of an artsy friend I made while living abroad in Europe :) Advice from a MSc in CS: These technical skills are very valuable to develop for your own sake. The whole reason why social media and the likes have blown up in society is that the barrier to entry (i.e. making a profile "page") is almost none, taking out the stimuli from people to learn technical skills altogether and therefore making us even more dependent of these low-barrier entries. Also, coding is just fun! The struggle is just while you get a hang of the technical concepts. And it's also a creative process, just that it's in the field of computers :)
I deleted much of my social media too. It’s not useful to me and is a hazard for my cybersecurity. Don’t rely on some businessmen to hold your identity securely. Forge your own path. Be your own boss.
Social media took away so much individuality from the web with the way everyone's profiles looks the same. It's so interesting to see how someone sets up their personal website! I'm older than you but also only keep in touch with one person from high school. I mean I'm not uninterested in gossip about the others but not enough to keep up following them or as you pointed out the curated version of them.
I love how you articulated this & outlined the reasons to delete/not delete social media. I'm currently on a break from IG and feel my ideas and creativity coming back. We don't realize how distracting and addicting it is until we take a step back. Happy I found this video, looking forward to more of your TH-cam videos!!
Millenial here. Ive been having similar thoughts. I think the way moving forward is going to look like our generations (including gen Alpha) very strategically rejecting most forms of digital penetration and attachment, and getting more intentional and selective and minimalist with how much we engange with social media. Its too bloated now. Its good to have it in doses and more organized and parred down.
I've gradually been working on quitting social media for the past few months as the content became stale and I became aware of how it both made me miserable, but also felt it was impossible to put down. I've reduced it by around 80% and realized that it has been draining my energy, my time, and my creativity. I am the most creative and inspired I've been since highschool. My sketchbooks are opened and filled with new pieces roughly every other day. Anything less frequent than that and I get restless! I always used to use the excuse of "collecting inspiration" when most of the content in my feed was not even art at all! Now, I use the little time I allow myself each day to almost exclusively look at art and reference photos. And now I actually absorb it and save it so that I can actually take the time to properly study and digest it! I'm not sure if I'm at a place yet where I'm ready to quit social media entirely, especially to check on niche fandoms that nobody in my community engages with, but I have found myself happier and happier the less I use it and I never allow algorithms or statistics to sway my desire to post what I want to whenever I feel like. I've been posting my art online for over a decade and my largest account is still tiny (less than 300 followers) in comparison to other artists of my skill level. But I want my art and my blogs/profiles to reflect ME. And the slow, comfortable pace I create at is a part of me that I won't hide to appease some silly algorithms. I am definitely putting more work into making and maintaining my own website(s) than my social media and reconnecting with myself and nature instead of what is "trending."
Memories are funny. While you remember them, they mean a lot to you but when they fade away you don't miss them because their space is taken up by newer memories. I'm almost 40 years old. I don't really remember my high school days that well anymore...and that's OK. I don't feel nostalgic for high school and there are other points in life that I remember more vividly.
I don't comment that often on videos, but to this one I felt like I had to. Watching it just after telling a friend that I was considering deleting all my social media, just doing a blog, and even going back to just plain email, your video just came as a very enlightening presentation. All this questioning about why do we create and what for are we exposing ourselves so much really changes everything. I like to share, but recently it has been feeling like I am doing it for validation, specially due to the back of the mind fear of what the strangers that follow me might be thinking, instead of how it maybe should feel: showing up a photo album to someone. Really amazing insights and reasoning, thank you very much for sharing, specially in this really spontaneous and open way, really makes a difference.
no way!!! I actually tried to do the same thing a few months back but got stuck trying to find a platform that would let me fully customize a site. Will check Ghost out. so glad this worked out for you, love your website!
All great advice. Very impressed you’re only 20 years old and are so self aware and that you’re making your own website. Will share this with my 28 year old nephew. Thanks!
that's awesome. i've been seeing this sort of thing a lot recently. a lot of people are realizing that social media is making a serious impact on their lives. websites are a great alternative.
This just reaffirmed my decision to cut loose from social media, at least for a couple months to be more present in my life and go full throttle on my goals. Just subscribed as well, pls keep posting and sharing your thoughts and wisdom.
super pleased that you mentioned discord! it's the only social media I've kept because to me it's still.... social. there's no shortform content built in, it's entirely built around messaging, you can call and videochat with someone in a different country toll-free, and most importantly, you cant really use discord without talking to someone. on every other app i just lurk in complete silence and watch. it's not social. it's isolating. it's replacing real life experiences with someone else's. at the very least, discord is just a place where people talk. id love to join whatever server you start.
What a great video. I am 41, and I've had all the same fears you have regarding deleting Socials. Social media didn't really take off until I was already in my first year or so of college, but losing those connections is a big fear. In particular, all the conversations and timeline posts with my mother, who passed away in 2020.
Hey, I actually noticed you had a website in your bio a few days ago and checked it out. I read your poem Sun Devil, at the time was the only one on there, and found it pretty interesting. It reminded me of my own writing from over a decade ago. Don't worry about cringing at your own writing. When you get older sometimes its nice to still have these small windows into your previous state of mind and reflect on your life to further grow or even refresh your perspective in general. Anyway, sorry, long comment. lol. I appreciate seeing your creative endeavors and generally positive outlook. Keep it up.
i’ve been thinking about having a site and no social media for ages - toyed around with neocities over the past couple years - but the inspiration bit had me very anxious to delete. i’m so happy you covered this topic!
This is so inspiring! I miss having a great personal project to work on, and that whole thing that you mentioned about meaning of life totally touched me. Thanks for sharing that!
I wholeheartedly support this sentiment; thanks for sharing. I've been advocating for this specific decentralized alternative to social media for many years, and I'm encouraged by young people like you seeing through the friendly facade of these Silicon Valley social manipulators. There are still obstacles to overcome: discoverability, navigation aids, bookmark management tools, and communication protocols that aren't reliant on a corporation's platform (like RSS). I believe all of these are feasible to overcome with enough collective momentum from people like you! Nice work on the site!
I’ve been trying to get into the ‘small internet’ recently out of a general sense of being fed up with the addictive nature of the current web. But it’s just so damn hard to find something! Discoverability is definitely a thing. Like, how would you find Lauren’s website if she didn’t mention it on TH-cam?
@@xXx_Regulus_xXx Yes, but with a twist. Web technology has steadily developed since its infancy, and modern browsers are capable of doing much more. Web standards and platforms have been continually introduced that make web development easier and more capable, so I have high hopes that this culture - if adopted - would look like nothing we've seen.
You inspired me so much about this topic.. quitting social media and having a cute website for sharing my ideas online safely with no worries about anyone’s opinion or validation is a calming experience for me. A life changing idea! I like to take some breaks from social media from time to time but I allways feel like I’m a person who is interested in so many things in life.. you can’t even Imagine I LITERALLY LIKE TO HAVE MY EYES ON EVERYTHING!! like (fashion, music, spirituality, art, creativity, food, dancing, fitness, swimming, happy feelings, mental health, filming, gaming, nature, and animation….) aaah I just feel like I’m attracted to everything life could offer ... so this is a cute and much more comfortable way for me to have a safe space for my own… Thank you sweetheart 💗 Rno
stumbling across this video was a blessing. this month, I also decided to delete personal social media to focus on my art and living in the present. making a website seemed like a big, scary task so thank you for this. wishing all the best to you, Lauren! I can't wait to see more of your work 💓
This is such a great idea. I'm turning 30 this year, and haven't been a big fan of social media for a while. Over the last year I made a career change into learning web development and can totally see myself doing this. Thank you for the inspiration! I cant wait to see where your website goes from here!
Thank you for this information! But this is kind of scary, was talking in a game's voice chat yesterday saying "I'm thinking about deleting my Twitter and Insta and stuff". Didn't search for anything related or post it anywhere. This video gets recommended to me today. 😰
When they have enough data of your searches and online behaviour, they can pretty accurately predict your behaviour and decisions, since they can compare it to thousands/ millions people who did similar things. It is still disturbing, even without the audio feature
Actually applications have access to our device's audio, they can hear and listen to our voice and can understand our native languages. And we are granting them permissions without even knowing.
I think you are on the right path here in being in-the-moment and not comparing yourself to others (social media). Social media ruined the internet and people's self-worth. I thought it would be great in promoting creatives, but I took it for granted because it became all about advertising and making money for social media platforms. I miss the days when I memorized where pay phones were and memorized phone numbers to stay connected to people.
yes, probably when you don't live in a place where three houses and a field - social networks really steal social life. When there's nothing to steal, it doesn't even bother
this is giving reset and i love it! you looked so happy in the first shot :) your videos rock! they're cinematic, hilarious, touching, and feel like a friend all at the same time. you're part of the reason i started my own channel and you inspire me every day.
Saving the pictures and screen shotting the moments from social media that are really important to you to scrap book or put in a photo album will help you preserve those memories without having to keep accounts open. And figuring out who you want to keep in touch with and getting their phone numbers so you can really connect is good too. Then you don't miss anything important. ❤
Thanks for making this video. I've been trying to encourage people to make their own sites for years, but I feel like most people are intimidated by it. I think a lot of people just don't want to feel like they're hanging out somewhere alone. But the irony is that we're often way more alone on social media than on our own websites because the 'togetherness' of social media is a total illusion. No one actually cares about anybody else there, it's all a game. Your website looks great and I love all the details you've put into it.
love how you presented the information with your sketchbook, and I really enjoyed visiting your site as well. I think you're a talented artist with a unique power to communicate your vision to the world! I'd say trust your intuition and keep being you ♡
I usually play yt videos on 1.75x speed but i like watching your videos on normal speed because its so soothing. Your authenticity really shines. Thanks for creating this space ❤
I'm a dancer and I have social media to display choreo, covers, etc. for potential opportunities but it's a bit soul-crushing ngl. It's hard not to look at the metrics, the reach, etc. and not feel like a failure when a couple people soar to the top and go viral and going viral feels like the definite "goal" that we should all have. I don't have personal social media accounts anymore and it's been great for my mental health, but this work/hobby account sometimes gives me such weird, conflicting emotions.
if you want to make your own site, you could still embed videos from youtube and get discovered. or if you don't want to rely on social media at all, video compression is pretty great these days, you can convert your stuff to webm and make good quality video that doesn't have enormous filesizes
Yes yes! Since my online life began, I've daydreamed about having a homey-feeling website that's a creative reflection instead of just a portfolio. In the 90s a lot of website titles were like, "SO-and-so's room" with lots of cute animated gifs and crap that didn't look sleek. It just felt personal and fun. I am longing for that again. Great video and thank you for sharing!
I've been struggling with this for the past 20 years... I've moved around 30 times in my life and the friends I had were always short time and just like you I would get to know them more through social media. I'm only keeping social media because I have made a few friends I wanna keep in touch with and see their progress in life.
First, you are just precious! Second, this is so different from any other “delete your social media” videos that I’ve listened to. Your points are much more persuasive and true. I’ve been wanting to delete my socials for a while but this is everything I needed to hear to commit! Thank you for sharing😊
Not sure why this particular video popped up on my feed but it was exactly what I needed to hear for the day. I appreciate you being open about your creative process, ideas, and thoughts on social media. I also noticed that you were a Harry Potter (fan seeing how you decided to post your house name lol). Dope job on the website thus far!!!! I can't wait to see the finished site! -Adison
3:50 and this whole section on why we fear cutting out social media is very important and you put it really well, "[social media] is the only place where I have some of these connections." I think in the process of moving away from sns, acknowledging the fact that these spaces provided real opportunities for happiness, connection and joy, alongside the pain and the anger, is crucial. This time wasn't wasted, it was used to create real, valuable things, but in the process its killing us, so we have to let go. Once you do that, you can come to terms with the fact that these connections likely will change, and turn your efforts into making sure the most important ones are maintained and changed for the better. Your emphasis on non-attachment was great-- that sense of loss you felt when you disconnected from all these people you've been hanging onto is a natural response, and it's that response that's being seized and abused by sns companies. Turning inwards to the most important people and communities in your life is crucial in this respect (says it perfectly here, 6:37).
wow, if you've been on social from 12 to 20, it means they have the data on who you are like never before. great video. I experienced those fears when I deleted my socials. I did it for other reasons: censorship, control of the flow of information, data collection, use and selling our data (posts, videos, images, text...), spying on everything we do on our devices... I also focused on my website. You give great reasons why creating our own website is the way to go ! thanks for sharing
that's a great great job on the website. I've seen way worse from professionals so you are definitely good! Keep it going. I am reading a book about computer science, and one quote that really stuck with me basically says that computer science, when wizards created started formally studying computers and coming up with ways to do stuff, was really fun. Working as a software developer, you sometimes loose track of what is fun. You forget that programming is supposed to be adventurous, like painting, like a sport. You need to push the boundaries of the computer and that's when you create meaningful things. It is a book on programming, but I think that it applies to every type of fulfilling activity. You can do whatever you want, remember that you'll suck at the beginning, and after a couple years of practice it will click in your head. And when you find that one thing that you love, something you can spend hours and hours and hours doing, understand that you found something you really love, push for it and avoid every distraction.
Thank you for this! It's exactly what I needed to hear right now. I've been trying to get off social media except for work. I've found myself addicted to the validation with my art, photos, and movie reviews. Anyway, I created a blog for my sharing my stuff and didn't tell anyone. It feels good to have a place I can just get it all out there and not really care about needing friends or family or strangers to give me feedback. I feel myself becoming a whole person.
it may not constitute a whole video, but I am super curious about your choice in going with Ghost to publish your website instead of using the bigs ones like Wix or Squarespace :) amazing video, I feel like your posts are some of the ones that relight the fire under my butt to do the things I've told myself I want to do. I started a book blog a year ago but very quickly dropped it for a few reasons, but mainly perfectionism. ALSO this video reminded me to deactivate my twitter account. it had been sitting for so long without being touched, it's been time to let go of that space.
Ghost is perfect platform for blog (personal or company). It's not bloated and has good SEO. Based my knowledge, it's alternative to WordPress (if only for blog) which is the biggest website platform/CMS.
Mainly I thought using ghost would force me to learn a little bit about coding through their code injection feature! & nooo you should start your book blog again if you enjoyed it :( keep in mind that imperfect action is always better than doing nothing at all. Really hope you'll do more of the things you want to in the future :)
I'm using WordPress. It's cheap. Took a long time to learn how to use it but did it on my own. The Plugins can be so helpful. Plus the blog management is nothing like any other platform I tried.
I love your personality so much! 😄 I’m actually planning to start a personal blog/website, because I feel like I express myself better in writing sometimes, and plus, I’ll be able to both write and embed videos on my blog. I don’t have anything against social media, but I just never really used it so much for the social aspect, and I really only use it to raise my vibrations and feel happy. Like, I enjoy looking at art on there, and also sometimes people are just so creatively funny! But you’re right, it does kinda hold your attention when you could be creating yourself, so I’m making the intention to create more and when my time is spent there, then there’ll be little time left for scrolling. 😊
Your sincerity and natural charm comes through in your video. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I’ve been trying to start a website myself and this is just the inspiration I need to push through with it. Thank you.
Aww your smile in the beginning was so cute, you just seem genuinely happy that you get to share what you learned with other people 🥺 Also, greetings from Germany!
I watched this two months ago feeling uninspired and generally having little to look forward to. I'm so grateful for your video. Seeing someone take the steps I've wanted to take but refused to (because of internet addiction) felt like a friend motivating me to start the journey we have long wanted to go on. Since then, I've revived my interest in personal writing and have made several essays that remind me of the joy of making sense of the world and arranging it all into words. It's made life more enriching and enjoyable. Thank you very much for being that final push
i am a simp for long-form content & have been planning on working on some of my own. i saw someone in ig reels discussing phone addiction, and how she didn't make actual progress until she realized the addiction was a symptom, and not the problem, though that's another story. love that you touch on the notion of infobesity as it manifests through social media connections (i.e. what do i hope to gain/nourish through this connection? is it nourishing?)
Absolutely love this video, the way you create content is exactly how I want to create content for myself. I recently made the decision to delete social media also and was massively inspired by digital minimalism and I’ve just re started work on my website so this video is a sign that TH-cam knows how to recommend videos to the right audiences lol!
As a 36 yo with a fully developed frontal cortex :) who randomly happened upon this video thanks to the algorithm, I found it so sweetly innocent yet uncommonly wise at the same time. You’ve given me the prompt to revive my own website from over a decade ago (which I’ve recently been enjoying revisiting my thoughts at that time). Warmest wishes for your continued journey!
I'm a computer science student without enough time for art that I used to do all the time. I got rid of every social media platform over 2 years ago now, but I didn't replace it with anything. This is a great idea! By the way, you aren't triggering any engineers by saying you use chat GPT. A lot of people in industry pay for GPT4 to use it in their work.
@@jeremyt6459 for sure, leave all the boilerplate and easy tasks to ai, and now swes can spend their time doing the fun stuff. maybe not the best for my career prospects, but great for enjoying work.
This video is very well put together. I definitely needed this. Thank you. There are also better/alternative social-media sites in which you can connect and communicate with people and share your ideas. One good thing about an alternative is that the traffic is lower and the quality of people and posts are better. So if you ever decide to go back, do it part-time with an alternative site while maintaining your own site.
You hit the nail on the head about the inspiration. Social media will suck you into scrolling under the guise of “getting inspired”, but it can exhaust you to the point of you not actually creating anything. Just living through someone else’s creations. I love your idea.
Too much inspiration is not good either. It can be overstimulation and overwhelming for my case.
Yesss 😭 social media is such a double edged sword. It’s a great way to share your art but you have to work to not get sucked in to wasting time.
Saved this to my journal, thank you
That's me 😢, I always on socials but never make my own content
@@AlFirousI have been feeling overwhelmed for the longest time, it has hindered my will to make art
Praying for the downfall of social media 😭 this take is gold
No
@@minitaazul1248why
Can’t wait until the day we bring back emails as a communication method. Emails have so much potential
Imagine!
It never went anywhere
Email isn't secure. Encrypted messages is better.
@@elliottalderson6443 You can encrypt your mails using PGP, but I guess there is not enough support from big email providers.
I remember those days. 😂
This is one of the most bubbly, nerdy, geeky and interesting views on the topic, leaving or minimizing social media use. Cool video. Good luck on your journey and website.
I called it a few weeks ago myself, this is the best move right now. Not selling your soul for the next social app just for them to switch up on you and start charging you for exposure. I love how you made it uniquely you!
HOLY SHIT ERGO JOSH COMMENTED?? hey Josh love ur videos - gives me so much inspiration
Seems like a double edge sword. Art TH-camrs thrived off of making content around getting better engagement on social media. Are those videos now void?
@@DB-ug3nfTimes have changed
@@DB-ug3nf of course they're not void, they still have value and represent real parts of the artist's passion and soul in everything they share, and have real value for the people that watch them. Many incredible things have come out of youtube. The problem isn't the creators or the viewers, it's the medium they're hosted on, youtube and other sns, that use slot machine mechanics and analytics to get viewers and creators addicted to spending more and more time on their platforms. "Engagement" and "content"... for every penny a creator makes, every single like and subscriber they gain, youtube is making money, and that is the crux of their business model. It seems like a lot gen Z is starting to get fed up with being used for these cycles and are turning away from them with vigor and purpose, so our new tasks are 1. finding ways to maintain these break ups with sns, since I think a lot of people end up coming back, and 2. building a new ecosystem where the underlying driver isn't hooking, draining, exploiting etc. Turning your art into a sustainable and fulfilling career has always been extremely extremely difficult. With the recent emergence of AI and the possible trend of gen Z moving away from sns, I think artists in particular are going to have an even harder time in the coming years. But I have faith in them and I hope you do to!!
Used to think the same, but Bluehost, as of last year, took a page from social apps & instead of honouring their original unlimited site hosting/unlimited data plan, they now only offer 2 sites and 2, that's right ONLY 2, GB of data. As in 2 GB total, shared across both sites. Now if you want the old unlimited plan they charge you something like $700. At least they did. That was some sort of apology/initial offer, so they probably charge even more for it now.
honestly, I haven't seen such a sincere person on youtube in a long time. I really enjoyed this topic, your approach and attitute. we've gotten so used to fast pacing, no mistakes, edited, info bombarding videos and this felt like life (and my brain) slowed down for a while. it's so soothing. ❤
Agree!
yes! i found myself smiling with her personality, and felt like facetiming a friend and talking passionalety about our hobbies
@@sisterbeautyful that's how i felt too
This is actually so real. 11:01 when you said “we’re not even getting the proper time to reflect and incorporate these ideas into our art” wow. I feel like I needed to hear that. I’ve been using social media as a crutch for inspiration for so long. I used to draw day and night as a kid- fanart, ocs, nature, I got inspired so easily. I got my first phone/device in 9th grade and since then I’ve drawn less and less consistently even tho it’s my greatest passion and one I’ve turned into a career. Social media has made me live in other peoples art, become an observer rather than creator. Despite all these reasons I still tell myself maybe I’ll make an art account and post my own stuff- or what will I use as inspiration if not videos. Social media is poisoning my creativity. I wanna be bored again, I wanna have ideas again, I wanna play store with wood chips at the park again. Thank you for the wake up call and amazing video.
Hey would you mind if i post this as my Twitter post.. ..you resonated it so well..
This❤❤
Wow. Deleting social media RIGHT NOW.
Wow this was the final push I needed. Just all of what you both said resonated so deeply. I'm ready to get off. I had already begun the processing of detaching as I stopped posting years ago for my mental health but I still kept coming back as a creative "who needed inspiration" and just loved browsing other people's art but the truth is it was and still is just an addiction and an unhealthy overconsumption of inspiration and I grew wholly insecure of my creative abilities as a result. I'm finally ready to break the cycle ❤
Yes this this this omg
I'm already 11:05 into the video. I wanted to share that before social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we millennials had a phase called blogging. It's similar to vlogging, but it uses words and pictures. For me, it was the best way to document your life without distractions because there weren't any curated photos or constant ads popping up. I used to use Blogspot, and it was refreshing to read people's perspectives on various topics they wanted to share, rather than seeing friends on Facebook reposting content from influencers instead of sharing original ideas. That's why I prefer TH-cam, as it still shows the vulnerability of people sharing their thoughts, much like blogging. Anyway, thanks for sharing this content because it seems that a lot of people like you wanted to go back and creating their own blog/website to store memories, share content and make connections.
You brought back memories...I am a 90s "early Gen Z" and Blogging was so popular among us young people, even I tried it at some point. I remember the most popular girl in the school had a fashion/makeup blogspot and we were all stalking it. 😆
Oh man great memories. Brb Gona log in and post.
*(Old millennial voice)* this is what we used to do in the early '00s! Build our lil webbed sites. Gonna make a neocities one for my art. Thanks for sharing. Your site is cute!
I remember this. I used to try and make my own website all the time.
Neocities??? Awesome!!! I used to have a geocities account... we should bring back the Webrings and the RSS feeds too :D (and I am not kidding, at least not about the RSS)
I automatically assumed Neocities is a Neopets offshoot 😅
Today I learned about the IndieWeb movement.
Yes!!! We blogged so Gen Z can influence!
I'm absolutely in love with the fact that this video is structured like a full academic article of an experimental study lmaoo
I used to have a blog when I was a teen and it was a lot of fun (actually I had 2). I had practically 0 readers so it was basically for me, which frustrated me at the time, but now I see it as a blessing. I rarely post on social media and when I want to say something I usually do it on tumblr, but it would be nice to see other people's sites and what they come up with.
I feel like we should take the internet back to ourselves! Stop using the same 5 sites everyday and inject a little more personality back on this thing that grows more corporate each passing day.
Same, I had a blog on blogger of my readings I was in love of what HTML could do; for me it was entertaining to understand code while personalizing everything, I also tried that with Tumblr but I have no time to do it, either way I love the idea of going back to those blessing days
Tumblr was the best. Art Inspiration and you got the feeling that u had a website. Still have it.
everyone having a blog to read would be so lovely! :))
@@18AleziitaSame! I loved that aspect of blogging it's what got me interested in coding.
I'm liking this paper/slideshow form of video way more than I expected! It feels straight to the point yet the artsy designs keep it entertaining.
I think a lot of people are moving in this direction. A bunch of Twitter artists have realized the severe limitations of social media and its "one person ultimately controls everything for everyone" version of the internet. You can't build a reliable business on that. Social media is 20 years old, now. It's not "the future" any more. It kinda sucks. We can all do better by ourselves.
Web Neoprimitivism.
Love the camera angle makes me feel like im getting mega side eyed and love how you get excited over friends and being better in life
you're making quite the character development, and i'm all for it
ive literally never thought about the artistic limitations of social media. that is so awesome
As an old person with a (supposedly) fully developed brain I think that this is a brilliant idea. Sharing your art in a way that fits you instead of what social media dictates makes so much sense. I think your website looks great and I'm now off to make my own. As is everyone who watched this video!
Many artists are leaving social media. The time investment and scattered mind is not worth it.
@@dumbphonemom also algorithms are changed now and people who relied on social media to make a living are going bankrupt because nobody sees their work
I mean this in the nicest way possible, and not to arm chair diagnose.
But feeling like you never developed/matured like your peers is often a symptom of some type of neuro-divergencey.
Knowing what your personal quirks are can really help with functioning in a modern world that ironically defies our bodies evolutions in nearly every way.
(Speaking as a person who was early diagnosed with siblings whom were diagnosed late in life).
Agree completely with your viewpoint though. Much love.
Question, is youtube considered as social media ? What is social media?
Something I appreciated so much about the blog era!
Dude, that's a seriously bold move in this day and age! Respect for breaking away from the noise and carving out your own online space. Feels like the start of something fresh and authentic. Makes me wonder what awesome stuff you're gonna put on that website - excited to see it!
I've been on the internet since '96 and I really miss the days of a simple internet that was really personal. Like hoping around "web rings" and finding someones x-files fan fiction and spending the night invested in that. The blog era from 2006-2010 is also missed, sadly consolidating everything into social media apps/sites dilutes ones creativity and people start hive minding. Love your site keep it up.👍
ohh wow, since '96.
Well said!
Yess I have also been on the internet since 96ish. I miss chat rooms, online poetry journals, and the authenticity. I can see how this all changed with Facebook. When MySpace was big, we could customize the entire profile page and then fb made it all uniform and the same, similarly to Apple vs android. I miss self expression and authenticity. Aesthetics trends now are the result of people wanting to escape the monotony and trying to self express again
Yeah - nice to see some interest again - I used to have a website but got lazy about maintaining it - Livejournal gave me free hosting and a nice amount of control. I used to have free hosting through Uni for my personal site in college. Anyway, the sameness of modern social media was all about building a userbase of people who were not computer enthusiasts or creatives.
Omg the blog era with blogspot! I mean we can wholeazz make a pretty website for a blog back then (although I used to just copy templates but it gave me an idea how to code a layout so in time I was making my own, even though it was just simple)
I hope this era comes back, it really brings out the creativity in everyone.
You brought so many more valid points than any other video about deleting social media, this conversation felt like a chat with a friend. Thank you for the tips and advices
As someone trying to get a job in web development and dealing with social media/TH-cam addiction this video found me at the right time. Thank you for the motivation 🙏🏻
Cheers! Im also on a journey to master web development
whats your dev stack for ur new website ;)
Same here! Trying to study webdev but TH-cam is my addition. I need a detox 🙃
BROOO WE HAVE A WEB DEVELOPER CLUB IN THIS THREAD
You are adorable! I clicked on this video because I am always waiting to hear that social media is over! I haven't posted anything in a few years, and I have been thinking about how I'm going to need to relaunch everything to relaunch youtube and publish my books and grow my email list and all the things we now have to do, but honestly the new culture of self promotion is just not interesting to me.
Why would you relaunch, just delete them :)
I don't mean relaunch old content I just mean my channels. I guess I could also delete. Not sure what the benefit would be either way.@@rapunzelred9055
The algorithm is definitely working. I’ve never been the biggest fan of social media but there are very specific aspects that I enjoy, so I’ve been leaning toward creating a personal site for years now. It’s currently in the works and is sort of like a blog but even more personalized. I suggest more people do this as well. Love how your site came out!! 💖
Could you share your website with us here whenever it's ready so that those of us who's interested can check it out?
@@SabrBloomandGlow I feel like it’s taking me forever to figure out how I want to set it up but once I do, I’d love to share! Thanks for asking, that just motivated me even more :)
This is honestly so wholesome and I'm here for it. I'm glad more and more people are seeing the toxicity of social media and finding ways to share with the world without the addictive digital experience. You go!!!
Excellent point! Being bored actually makes a lot of us more creative, and that kind of creativity is more personal and unique, unlike the creativity of sameness that a lot of people are showing in apps like TikTok.
The fact that you're so emotional about it really makes this video mean so much.
I think this video can be related to by everyone. In each chapter there is something for anyone in their own journey in life.
I did this for the entire year 2023, the site also worked as a diary of dreams and reports from my art studio, every day I added updates on projects I was developing in my photographic work and references, it's a great way to maintain discipline and develop creativity. I will return with the website in March but now I will also start posting on TH-cam. I don't have any social media either.

@phoslunar do this, I guarantee you won't regret dedicating yourself to what you really love
What do you consider a social network? Is TH-cam a social network? and telegrams? What's the point of that? Watching a video on TH-cam? like and subscribe? lol
@@permaculture-mini-farmTechnically youtube is a social network, so is reddit, even zoom if you really want to go there. But its more-so the doomscroll/social gauging apps like Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok etc that are really harmful beyond any meaningful reason.
I love how passionately you feel when you talk about this. Very few people will take the time to list out reasons, give experiences and feel so deeply when talking about something like this. I’ve been wanting to get back to creating for so long but I’ve been stuck. I look back at my old art and see so much potential and creativity and wondered where it all went and never thought it to be social media. I’ve had a phone since I was 8 and I’m 20 now… I’ve been blaming myself for my lack of creativity for so long, so thank you for this. I needed a call to action and this was it.
Your mannerisms remind me of an artsy friend I made while living abroad in Europe :)
Advice from a MSc in CS:
These technical skills are very valuable to develop for your own sake. The whole reason why social media and the likes have blown up in society is that the barrier to entry (i.e. making a profile "page") is almost none, taking out the stimuli from people to learn technical skills altogether and therefore making us even more dependent of these low-barrier entries.
Also, coding is just fun! The struggle is just while you get a hang of the technical concepts. And it's also a creative process, just that it's in the field of computers :)
I deleted much of my social media too. It’s not useful to me and is a hazard for my cybersecurity. Don’t rely on some businessmen to hold your identity securely. Forge your own path. Be your own boss.
Social media took away so much individuality from the web with the way everyone's profiles looks the same. It's so interesting to see how someone sets up their personal website!
I'm older than you but also only keep in touch with one person from high school. I mean I'm not uninterested in gossip about the others but not enough to keep up following them or as you pointed out the curated version of them.
I love how you articulated this & outlined the reasons to delete/not delete social media. I'm currently on a break from IG and feel my ideas and creativity coming back. We don't realize how distracting and addicting it is until we take a step back. Happy I found this video, looking forward to more of your TH-cam videos!!
Millenial here. Ive been having similar thoughts. I think the way moving forward is going to look like our generations (including gen Alpha) very strategically rejecting most forms of digital penetration and attachment, and getting more intentional and selective and minimalist with how much we engange with social media. Its too bloated now. Its good to have it in doses and more organized and parred down.
I agree. I only check on social media when sharing creative work or celebrating some major thing like a holiday or a milestone.
I've gradually been working on quitting social media for the past few months as the content became stale and I became aware of how it both made me miserable, but also felt it was impossible to put down. I've reduced it by around 80% and realized that it has been draining my energy, my time, and my creativity. I am the most creative and inspired I've been since highschool. My sketchbooks are opened and filled with new pieces roughly every other day. Anything less frequent than that and I get restless!
I always used to use the excuse of "collecting inspiration" when most of the content in my feed was not even art at all! Now, I use the little time I allow myself each day to almost exclusively look at art and reference photos. And now I actually absorb it and save it so that I can actually take the time to properly study and digest it! I'm not sure if I'm at a place yet where I'm ready to quit social media entirely, especially to check on niche fandoms that nobody in my community engages with, but I have found myself happier and happier the less I use it and I never allow algorithms or statistics to sway my desire to post what I want to whenever I feel like. I've been posting my art online for over a decade and my largest account is still tiny (less than 300 followers) in comparison to other artists of my skill level. But I want my art and my blogs/profiles to reflect ME. And the slow, comfortable pace I create at is a part of me that I won't hide to appease some silly algorithms.
I am definitely putting more work into making and maintaining my own website(s) than my social media and reconnecting with myself and nature instead of what is "trending."
Memories are funny. While you remember them, they mean a lot to you but when they fade away you don't miss them because their space is taken up by newer memories. I'm almost 40 years old. I don't really remember my high school days that well anymore...and that's OK. I don't feel nostalgic for high school and there are other points in life that I remember more vividly.
I love how excited you are about talking about something you are passionate about!! It makes it feel like I'm listening to someone I know.
I don't comment that often on videos, but to this one I felt like I had to. Watching it just after telling a friend that I was considering deleting all my social media, just doing a blog, and even going back to just plain email, your video just came as a very enlightening presentation. All this questioning about why do we create and what for are we exposing ourselves so much really changes everything. I like to share, but recently it has been feeling like I am doing it for validation, specially due to the back of the mind fear of what the strangers that follow me might be thinking, instead of how it maybe should feel: showing up a photo album to someone. Really amazing insights and reasoning, thank you very much for sharing, specially in this really spontaneous and open way, really makes a difference.
I’m considering this too!!!!
Social media is like a Vegas casino....there's no clock on the walls
no way!!! I actually tried to do the same thing a few months back but got stuck trying to find a platform that would let me fully customize a site. Will check Ghost out. so glad this worked out for you, love your website!
U try wordpress? U can hosting with urself
Wix is the best
All great advice. Very impressed you’re only 20 years old and are so self aware and that you’re making your own website. Will share this with my 28 year old nephew. Thanks!
that's awesome. i've been seeing this sort of thing a lot recently. a lot of people are realizing that social media is making a serious impact on their lives. websites are a great alternative.
This just reaffirmed my decision to cut loose from social media, at least for a couple months to be more present in my life and go full throttle on my goals. Just subscribed as well, pls keep posting and sharing your thoughts and wisdom.
super pleased that you mentioned discord! it's the only social media I've kept because to me it's still.... social. there's no shortform content built in, it's entirely built around messaging, you can call and videochat with someone in a different country toll-free, and most importantly, you cant really use discord without talking to someone. on every other app i just lurk in complete silence and watch. it's not social. it's isolating. it's replacing real life experiences with someone else's.
at the very least, discord is just a place where people talk. id love to join whatever server you start.
What a great video. I am 41, and I've had all the same fears you have regarding deleting Socials. Social media didn't really take off until I was already in my first year or so of college, but losing those connections is a big fear. In particular, all the conversations and timeline posts with my mother, who passed away in 2020.
Hey, I actually noticed you had a website in your bio a few days ago and checked it out. I read your poem Sun Devil, at the time was the only one on there, and found it pretty interesting. It reminded me of my own writing from over a decade ago. Don't worry about cringing at your own writing. When you get older sometimes its nice to still have these small windows into your previous state of mind and reflect on your life to further grow or even refresh your perspective in general. Anyway, sorry, long comment. lol. I appreciate seeing your creative endeavors and generally positive outlook. Keep it up.
OMG I NEEDED THISSSSS! I've been coming back and rewatching to make my own website for my YT and books (finally)...lol. Thanks Julie
i’ve been thinking about having a site and no social media for ages - toyed around with neocities over the past couple years - but the inspiration bit had me very anxious to delete. i’m so happy you covered this topic!
This is so inspiring! I miss having a great personal project to work on, and that whole thing that you mentioned about meaning of life totally touched me. Thanks for sharing that!
I wholeheartedly support this sentiment; thanks for sharing. I've been advocating for this specific decentralized alternative to social media for many years, and I'm encouraged by young people like you seeing through the friendly facade of these Silicon Valley social manipulators. There are still obstacles to overcome: discoverability, navigation aids, bookmark management tools, and communication protocols that aren't reliant on a corporation's platform (like RSS). I believe all of these are feasible to overcome with enough collective momentum from people like you! Nice work on the site!
I’ve been trying to get into the ‘small internet’ recently out of a general sense of being fed up with the addictive nature of the current web. But it’s just so damn hard to find something! Discoverability is definitely a thing. Like, how would you find Lauren’s website if she didn’t mention it on TH-cam?
the future of the Web is the past! I'm excited for social media junkies to learn how to make their own corner of the internet.
@@xXx_Regulus_xXx Yes, but with a twist. Web technology has steadily developed since its infancy, and modern browsers are capable of doing much more. Web standards and platforms have been continually introduced that make web development easier and more capable, so I have high hopes that this culture - if adopted - would look like nothing we've seen.
@@LardBucket_ Are you sure it'll be widespread?
@@JSSMVCJR2.1No I'm not sure - I'm no sage, but I think it's possible!
You inspired me so much about this topic.. quitting social media and having a cute website for sharing my ideas online safely with no worries about anyone’s opinion or validation is a calming experience for me. A life changing idea!
I like to take some breaks from social media from time to time but I allways feel like I’m a person who is interested in so many things in life.. you can’t even Imagine I LITERALLY LIKE TO HAVE MY EYES ON EVERYTHING!! like (fashion, music, spirituality, art, creativity, food, dancing, fitness, swimming, happy feelings, mental health, filming, gaming, nature, and animation….) aaah I just feel like I’m attracted to everything life could offer ... so this is a cute and much more comfortable way for me to have a safe space for my own…
Thank you sweetheart 💗
Rno
stumbling across this video was a blessing. this month, I also decided to delete personal social media to focus on my art and living in the present. making a website seemed like a big, scary task so thank you for this. wishing all the best to you, Lauren! I can't wait to see more of your work 💓
this is so helpful, sincere and beautiful i think i might cry. seriously needed this. thank you for being you
This is such a great idea. I'm turning 30 this year, and haven't been a big fan of social media for a while. Over the last year I made a career change into learning web development and can totally see myself doing this. Thank you for the inspiration! I cant wait to see where your website goes from here!
This is so real. You made so many valid points! I just made the decision to deactivate my socials. I'm exhausted.
You can do it! I deleted mine in 2015. TH-cam is the only one I watch, and you don't even need to log in.
@@rapunzelred9055 Then why are you logged in?
Thank you for this information!
But this is kind of scary, was talking in a game's voice chat yesterday saying "I'm thinking about deleting my Twitter and Insta and stuff". Didn't search for anything related or post it anywhere. This video gets recommended to me today. 😰
Yes I believe the service systems we are using are catching our sentiments and opinions thru voice.
okay same!!! i was thinking replacing with blogging and this pop up lol
When they have enough data of your searches and online behaviour, they can pretty accurately predict your behaviour and decisions, since they can compare it to thousands/ millions people who did similar things. It is still disturbing, even without the audio feature
Algorithm
Actually applications have access to our device's audio, they can hear and listen to our voice and can understand our native languages. And we are granting them permissions without even knowing.
Thank you for this genuine wholesome video! You rock ❤️ coolest person I found on here in a while
I think you are on the right path here in being in-the-moment and not comparing yourself to others (social media). Social media ruined the internet and people's self-worth. I thought it would be great in promoting creatives, but I took it for granted because it became all about advertising and making money for social media platforms. I miss the days when I memorized where pay phones were and memorized phone numbers to stay connected to people.
yes, probably when you don't live in a place where three houses and a field - social networks really steal social life. When there's nothing to steal, it doesn't even bother
This is exactly what I have in my mind, holy you're a legend!
i love how you make videos, it's simple and raw but valuable
I really needed this video in my life, thank you for sharing this experiment/experience!
this is giving reset and i love it! you looked so happy in the first shot :)
your videos rock! they're cinematic, hilarious, touching, and feel like a friend all at the same time. you're part of the reason i started my own channel and you inspire me every day.
I love how real you were. That's what we need from every TH-camr.
Saving the pictures and screen shotting the moments from social media that are really important to you to scrap book or put in a photo album will help you preserve those memories without having to keep accounts open.
And figuring out who you want to keep in touch with and getting their phone numbers so you can really connect is good too. Then you don't miss anything important. ❤
May I suggest making actual HTML or Album Backups?
I love your perspective and you’re joyful spirit, you keep smiling gurl 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Thanks for making this video. I've been trying to encourage people to make their own sites for years, but I feel like most people are intimidated by it. I think a lot of people just don't want to feel like they're hanging out somewhere alone. But the irony is that we're often way more alone on social media than on our own websites because the 'togetherness' of social media is a total illusion. No one actually cares about anybody else there, it's all a game. Your website looks great and I love all the details you've put into it.
love how you presented the information with your sketchbook, and I really enjoyed visiting your site as well. I think you're a talented artist with a unique power to communicate your vision to the world! I'd say trust your intuition and keep being you ♡
I usually play yt videos on 1.75x speed but i like watching your videos on normal speed because its so soothing. Your authenticity really shines. Thanks for creating this space ❤
I'm a dancer and I have social media to display choreo, covers, etc. for potential opportunities but it's a bit soul-crushing ngl. It's hard not to look at the metrics, the reach, etc. and not feel like a failure when a couple people soar to the top and go viral and going viral feels like the definite "goal" that we should all have. I don't have personal social media accounts anymore and it's been great for my mental health, but this work/hobby account sometimes gives me such weird, conflicting emotions.
if you want to make your own site, you could still embed videos from youtube and get discovered. or if you don't want to rely on social media at all, video compression is pretty great these days, you can convert your stuff to webm and make good quality video that doesn't have enormous filesizes
Yes yes! Since my online life began, I've daydreamed about having a homey-feeling website that's a creative reflection instead of just a portfolio. In the 90s a lot of website titles were like, "SO-and-so's room" with lots of cute animated gifs and crap that didn't look sleek. It just felt personal and fun. I am longing for that again. Great video and thank you for sharing!
I've been struggling with this for the past 20 years... I've moved around 30 times in my life and the friends I had were always short time and just like you I would get to know them more through social media. I'm only keeping social media because I have made a few friends I wanna keep in touch with and see their progress in life.
First, you are just precious! Second, this is so different from any other “delete your social media” videos that I’ve listened to. Your points are much more persuasive and true. I’ve been wanting to delete my socials for a while but this is everything I needed to hear to commit! Thank you for sharing😊
They're more philosophical, yeah.
I love how authentic and genuine you are. It’s a breath of fresh air. Best of luck to you!
Not sure why this particular video popped up on my feed but it was exactly what I needed to hear for the day. I appreciate you being open about your creative process, ideas, and thoughts on social media. I also noticed that you were a Harry Potter (fan seeing how you decided to post your house name lol). Dope job on the website thus far!!!! I can't wait to see the finished site!
-Adison
3:50 and this whole section on why we fear cutting out social media is very important and you put it really well, "[social media] is the only place where I have some of these connections." I think in the process of moving away from sns, acknowledging the fact that these spaces provided real opportunities for happiness, connection and joy, alongside the pain and the anger, is crucial. This time wasn't wasted, it was used to create real, valuable things, but in the process its killing us, so we have to let go. Once you do that, you can come to terms with the fact that these connections likely will change, and turn your efforts into making sure the most important ones are maintained and changed for the better. Your emphasis on non-attachment was great-- that sense of loss you felt when you disconnected from all these people you've been hanging onto is a natural response, and it's that response that's being seized and abused by sns companies. Turning inwards to the most important people and communities in your life is crucial in this respect (says it perfectly here, 6:37).
I really don't want to abandon my only best friends
You radiate an incredible vibe of awesomeness! Stay true to yourself and continue shining your unique light.
Anyone remember piczo where you made a blog and it was super personalized? I love this and I hope it becomes a trend. Glad to see this 😊
i remember piczo smmm it was the only site my parents would let me in (i used to have to ask my parents permission to sign up stuff)
I HAD THIS IDEA IN JANUARY!!! thank you for posting this it encourages me to actually go through with it
wow, if you've been on social from 12 to 20, it means they have the data on who you are like never before. great video. I experienced those fears when I deleted my socials. I did it for other reasons: censorship, control of the flow of information, data collection, use and selling our data (posts, videos, images, text...), spying on everything we do on our devices... I also focused on my website. You give great reasons why creating our own website is the way to go ! thanks for sharing
Then its more important then ever to delete them.
that's a great great job on the website. I've seen way worse from professionals so you are definitely good! Keep it going.
I am reading a book about computer science, and one quote that really stuck with me basically says that computer science, when wizards created started formally studying computers and coming up with ways to do stuff, was really fun. Working as a software developer, you sometimes loose track of what is fun. You forget that programming is supposed to be adventurous, like painting, like a sport. You need to push the boundaries of the computer and that's when you create meaningful things. It is a book on programming, but I think that it applies to every type of fulfilling activity. You can do whatever you want, remember that you'll suck at the beginning, and after a couple years of practice it will click in your head.
And when you find that one thing that you love, something you can spend hours and hours and hours doing, understand that you found something you really love, push for it and avoid every distraction.
This video helped so much! You put into words all the challenges I have with deleting my social media. Thanks for sharing!
this was an amazing video and i'm so glad it popped up in my recommended
Thank you for this! It's exactly what I needed to hear right now. I've been trying to get off social media except for work. I've found myself addicted to the validation with my art, photos, and movie reviews. Anyway, I created a blog for my sharing my stuff and didn't tell anyone. It feels good to have a place I can just get it all out there and not really care about needing friends or family or strangers to give me feedback. I feel myself becoming a whole person.
it may not constitute a whole video, but I am super curious about your choice in going with Ghost to publish your website instead of using the bigs ones like Wix or Squarespace :) amazing video, I feel like your posts are some of the ones that relight the fire under my butt to do the things I've told myself I want to do. I started a book blog a year ago but very quickly dropped it for a few reasons, but mainly perfectionism.
ALSO this video reminded me to deactivate my twitter account. it had been sitting for so long without being touched, it's been time to let go of that space.
Ghost is perfect platform for blog (personal or company). It's not bloated and has good SEO. Based my knowledge, it's alternative to WordPress (if only for blog) which is the biggest website platform/CMS.
Mainly I thought using ghost would force me to learn a little bit about coding through their code injection feature! & nooo you should start your book blog again if you enjoyed it :( keep in mind that imperfect action is always better than doing nothing at all. Really hope you'll do more of the things you want to in the future :)
I'm using WordPress. It's cheap. Took a long time to learn how to use it but did it on my own. The Plugins can be so helpful. Plus the blog management is nothing like any other platform I tried.
love the ghibli ref in the background, such a lovely atmosphere too to express a creative mindset !!
I love your personality so much! 😄 I’m actually planning to start a personal blog/website, because I feel like I express myself better in writing sometimes, and plus, I’ll be able to both write and embed videos on my blog. I don’t have anything against social media, but I just never really used it so much for the social aspect, and I really only use it to raise my vibrations and feel happy. Like, I enjoy looking at art on there, and also sometimes people are just so creatively funny! But you’re right, it does kinda hold your attention when you could be creating yourself, so I’m making the intention to create more and when my time is spent there, then there’ll be little time left for scrolling. 😊
Your sincerity and natural charm comes through in your video. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I’ve been trying to start a website myself and this is just the inspiration I need to push through with it. Thank you.
I love that! I’ve been thinking about only having a blog and it seems like a good idea with the way things are going 😅
I am glad I found this space you've made.
I look forward to witnessing and learning as you go.
Aww your smile in the beginning was so cute, you just seem genuinely happy that you get to share what you learned with other people 🥺
Also, greetings from Germany!
You are so authentic. I could listen to you talk about anything. I'm an Arizonan too ❤
The early internet vibes she gave when she showed her website was amazing ❤
I watched this two months ago feeling uninspired and generally having little to look forward to. I'm so grateful for your video. Seeing someone take the steps I've wanted to take but refused to (because of internet addiction) felt like a friend motivating me to start the journey we have long wanted to go on. Since then, I've revived my interest in personal writing and have made several essays that remind me of the joy of making sense of the world and arranging it all into words. It's made life more enriching and enjoyable. Thank you very much for being that final push
i am a simp for long-form content & have been planning on working on some of my own. i saw someone in ig reels discussing phone addiction, and how she didn't make actual progress until she realized the addiction was a symptom, and not the problem, though that's another story. love that you touch on the notion of infobesity as it manifests through social media connections (i.e. what do i hope to gain/nourish through this connection? is it nourishing?)
Too tired to finish, will return. Man, this is good. Tks for sharing your thoughts and stuff on this. It's a big topic
Elder millennials restoring the 00s internet experience is something I never knew I needed but I can’t wait bring back RSS feeds and personal sites
You are exactly the refreshing content TH-cam needs. Back to the basics of personalized content 💕 luv your vids💕
Absolutely love this video, the way you create content is exactly how I want to create content for myself.
I recently made the decision to delete social media also and was massively inspired by digital minimalism and I’ve just re started work on my website so this video is a sign that TH-cam knows how to recommend videos to the right audiences lol!
As a 36 yo with a fully developed frontal cortex :) who randomly happened upon this video thanks to the algorithm, I found it so sweetly innocent yet uncommonly wise at the same time. You’ve given me the prompt to revive my own website from over a decade ago (which I’ve recently been enjoying revisiting my thoughts at that time). Warmest wishes for your continued journey!
I'm a computer science student without enough time for art that I used to do all the time. I got rid of every social media platform over 2 years ago now, but I didn't replace it with anything. This is a great idea! By the way, you aren't triggering any engineers by saying you use chat GPT. A lot of people in industry pay for GPT4 to use it in their work.
Yeah, tbh if you're not using AI as a programmer at this point you're just shooting yourself in the foot. Gotta embrace the change!
@@jeremyt6459 for sure, leave all the boilerplate and easy tasks to ai, and now swes can spend their time doing the fun stuff. maybe not the best for my career prospects, but great for enjoying work.
This video is very well put together. I definitely needed this. Thank you. There are also better/alternative social-media sites in which you can connect and communicate with people and share your ideas. One good thing about an alternative is that the traffic is lower and the quality of people and posts are better. So if you ever decide to go back, do it part-time with an alternative site while maintaining your own site.