This rant about Instagram comments is specifically about that moment when you as a content creator/entrepreneur share something personal, deep, vulnerable, something that is an extension of you, your story, your journey…
And you get a comment from someone random you’ve never interacted with before…
And it comes in a set of three, like an omen,
*Like*
*Like*
*Comment that is more than 4 words and might contain a question that makes you want to poke yourself in the eye rather than fake your way through a super fake conversation with this person*
It makes me angry because it feels like such a slap in the face to the time, energy, & healing that went into my process of unlearning something toxic & harmful, finding a way I want to share it with my community, & creating the space & safety for me to do so…
And it feels belittling to the humans in my community who share their own vulnerability & experiences, in the comments, in their stories, in our DMs…
It can be really hard to comment on things on IG, even when you really want to.
Because so much of it for me takes energy to acknowledge all the fake energy that gets put out there in the comments section & how I’m actively disengaging from that in this moment on this person’s post.
Basically my point is, commenting on shit is hard. Both as someone commenting on another person’s post, & as the creator replying to comments on your own work.
It doesn’t need to be more painful & challenging by fake, superficial, demeaning comments left by window shoppers who are just hoping you end up following them instead of treating your space with the dignity & respect you & it deserve.
Our words to each other should not be a manipulative means to an end for numbers, metrics, engagement.
We are all worth more than that.
I hate the IG comments section culture. I hate that comments have been optimized for metrics rather than connecting w/ other humans in a human way. I hate that I could post something straight from my wounded heart & someone might comment on it just to get me to follow their page.
I get really angry now when I get a comment on my Instagram posts that feels so clearly like it is a ploy to get me to engage with the other person on their own feed, in the pursuit of getting me to follow them or want to work with them.
I used to do this. I took IG growth classes from boss babes. I know the strategy behind it—by commenting on my feed, I’ll hopefully be so excited to check out their profile, & then maybe I turn into a client of theirs. I get why this strategy exists. And I’m angry about it.
Today I’m mainly angry about it because my content now is so deeply connected to my inner self—my deepest wounds, lowest moments in life, all thanks to perfectionism, the ultimate dehumanizer.
When someone I’ve never seen before comments something super over the top, it feels like a condescending pat on the head. “Good for you! Keep going! You must be so proud! Great job!” I’m like what? This post is based on my latest therapy session about my trauma. Great job?
I absolutely love the humans that are here, being human along with me. I feel protective of us. We are resting, unlearning perfectionism, trying to change the world while navigating mental health challenges… So boss babes get out. Leave. Right now. It’s the end of you & me.
Especially being a low energy human w/brain fog, perfectionism, & issues being seen… I understand that commenting on something online, & also replying to comments, can take so so much capacity. I rarely have it.
So I’m not going to be flippant about the comments other humans leave on my work. I want to respect the time, energy, & capacity that human used to share their own thoughts with me. I’m not going to reply just for the sake of increasing metrics.
I’m not going to reply with a question just to keep the comments going for better engagement. I’m not going to make up shit to make the comment longer if I really don’t have more to add. I’m going to use emojis if that’s all I have capacity for but still want to reply.
This is one reason I no longer view the comments section as a tool for boosting or hacking engagement. Hashtags? Sure, I’ll use those monsters to get my content out there. But the tricks we’ve learned to make people commenting on our work as a means to an end? No more for me.