Are we stuck on Meta?
In thinking through social media exit strategies, I decided to slow down and consider in more detail why leaving is so damn difficult for most of us. Fully aware of the irony of using the very tools I advocate against, I turned to Instagram Stories and asked a few questions about what's preventing us from leaving Instagram or Facebook; I hoped for a few responses, I received a small flood. Tapering off at 56 responses, the almost unanimous reason for not being able to leave was "work, family, connection". None of those reasons came as a surprise, but the speed and volume at which they were provided affirmed my thinking that maybe it isn't just me or you who feels pretty damn stuck right now. And reaffirmations kept coming as friends tapped through others' responses and commented they didn't expect everyone else's thoughts and feelings to reflect their own so closely; we are all indeed feeling stuck in the same game, and we all hate it. Free to leave if we ...