I've been on the internet for more than 20 years.
It all started with dial-up internet and MSN Messenger when I was a teenager, and later on with emails that were solely used to send my work and screenplays to my uni teachers (I actually had to go to a cybercafé to do this). In 2005, I opened a MySpace account and a book blog on Blogger. Since then, my online presence has evolved but, like most of us, never stopped - I went from book blogging to "lifestyle", stayed away from Instagram for a while but finally opened my first account in 2015, and then all hell broke loose.
I honestly feel like I can pinpoint the start of it no longer being 100% fun for me when I joined Instagram and bought my first smartphone (which happened roughly at the same time). Until then, I absolutely LOVED being on the internet - blogging was popular at the time, I met many wonderful people (some I'm still friends with to this day) and loved how slow, simple and minimalistic the whole things was - you had one blog, you interacted with people in your comment section, you only posted once a week or less, and you went on Bloglovin' every other day to catch up with other people's blogs and interact in their comment section.
When I look back, I do wonder how we've gone from this to, well, this *waves arms* in such a short amount of time. OK, not that short (I started blogging at 20 and I am now... 40), but in the grand scheme of things, it really is nothing. To think that only 30 years ago, we were still taking analog pictures, not carrying a doom rectangle in our pocket, nobody knew where we were or could reach us when we were out... well, yeah, that's a lot. I think I've reached a point where I want part of my privacy back - I'm already not showing my face or much of my home or personal life, but now whenever I share anything, I feel like it's already too much.
Like many, I've developed Internet Fatigue, especially Social Media fatigue (even though I'm "only" on Instagram - I created a TikTok account and deleted it two days later, and I left Twitter years ago). In 2024, my goal was to create more and share less, and I'm going to keep working on it this year.
That was a long intro but what I mean to say is: lately, with everything happening, my internet overwhelm went up quite a notch. And so I've decided to go back to my roots (blogging), to say goodbye to some internet corners that no longer bring me joy and/or are owned by fascist billionaires, and say hello to other places that might end up the same but, for now, seem safe(r) and are not yet a victim of enshittification (I am not naive, I'm pretty sure it's coming for them too).
Let's start with the Big One. Instagram has been my main internet hanging place for years - this is where I hang out/chat with my online (and IRL) friends, where I consume beautiful, meaningful, funny but also political content, share my personal and work life, my photos, my illustrations, and where I promote my shop. I've had several accounts over the years and it has been my happy place for a long time. It was a fantastic way to meet new people and colleagues and make friends, especially as a freelance literary translator and small business owner working from home. However, today's Instagram is nothing like the one we used to love.
What used to be a simple photo sharing app became an algorithmic monster filled with noise and ads and content you don't want to see, training its AI on our own art and photos, not showing our posts to our followers, where people steal and repost our content, and which, of course, is owned by a misogynistic fascist billionaire whose latest announcements made me want to throw my phone away and join the #NoSurf movement.
I understand why some people say we should stay despite it all (so that it doesn't become a fascist echo chamber, to create safe spaces, to keep posting beautiful, comforting, political, educational and hopeful content, and to enjoy the communities we've built together) but at what cost? I've been feeling more and more uncomfortable in that space, so after thinking about it for weeks, I've decided to stop posting there (even though my shop depends on Instagram - which is another problem).
I will keep my account open and leave a pinned post with links to the places where I will be active from now on, and I will still log in from time to time to stay connected with people I can't contact or follow elsewhere. I will also delete it from my phone and only visit Instagram on desktop (which is something I already do most of the time). Typing it fills me with sadness but mostly relief, so I know it's the right decision.
After years without blogging (Instagram became my "blog"), I fell in love with it again when I opened a Substack a few years back, but I decided to leave in 2023 when we all found out that they were platforming and monetizing nazis. A few months ago, I learnt that it was actually getting worse, so I have zero regrets.
Writing my monthly newsletter has also felt like blogging in a way, but by starting a blog here, on my website, I'll be able to write longer, more specific and image-heavy posts. I will blog about things I love, books, our garden, my small business, art and, well, life. If I start making YouTube videos/vlogs again, I will post them here but they won't appear on my YouTube channel.
This is the space I hope to spend the most time on. If you want to follow my blog, you can do it the old-fashioned way (by adding it as a favourite in your browser or using a blog-following platform) or sign up to my newsletter, where I will link my blog posts, or follow me on Cara or Bluesky (enjoy the subtle segue).
You can now find me on Cara, where I will share my illustrations. It's an image sharing platform and social network for creatives, founded to protect human artists from AI-generated art. Like everyone, I created an account last year when Instagram opened the door to AI training, but like many, I deserted it since then. So this time, I intend to use it for all things art.
I also finally joined Bluesky (where everybody seems to go at the moment!), an alternative to Twitter where you can also share images - and they're even working on an alternative to Instagram! Knowing myself, I will probably use it visually more than anything, and mostly to follow people, but I hope you'll join me there!
I used to love Goodreads but I quit a few years ago when I realised it was owned by Amazon/Jeff Bezos. I am now on The Storygraph, an independent, woman-founded, black-owned platform that I actually enjoy a lot more with its clean interface and fun statistics.
This has nothing to do with social media/my online presence but I finally deleted my Spotify account (I was using the free plan) after I found out that, like most tech bros, CEOS and billionaires behind the websites we use daily, Spotify made a donation to Trump's inauguration ceremony and even hosted a celebratory brunch. I was already angry at them for allowing AI playlists, so that was that. And I won't be moving to Deezer (where the main shareholder is a zionist and close to Trump too), so this year I am moving back to... CDs.
Yup. I only listen to music at home and don't need music on the go, so I'm going to find a nice CD player and start buying my favourite albums like I used to - albums that I will actually own (I loved this video by Mina Le on the downfall of streaming). We're also no longer subscribed to streaming services like Netflix, Disney + and co, and we're planning on going back to DVDs (in the meantime, I'll admit I've been watching some films and series on illegal streaming websites, sorry!).
If you're still here, thank you so much for reading this!
It's nice to be able to write without a character limit.
To summarize, here all my links if you want to join me:
And I know I repeat myself, but THANK YOU for being part of my little community, for following me throughout the years, for your daily messages, comments and likes, for supporting my shop and for your kindness and friendship. You are what still makes the internet worthwhile and I hope we'll keep in touch, whatever happens!
Sending you all lots of love,
Charlotte x