I’m getting off social media. For like a year. I’m so excited about it and I’m terrified, but I’m also getting beaucoup signs to just do it.
Here’s a few signs (though I’ve been getting ‘em nonstop):
1: J. Cole! He’s one of my favorite rappers and he recently dropped a new album, and his marketing strategy is so ole school and so genius. Recalling his before-fame days, he’s driving around the country in his old Honda Civic, selling CDs from the trunk, pulling up to clubs without charging for meet-and-greets, and asking fans to put their phones away and be present. Some folks joke that “he wanna be regular so bad,” but I think it’s brilliant. He keeps his social media presence intentionally sparse. He only posts when a new body of work drops and clears his previous posts each time.
This spoke to my fear of “How will I share my work if I’m not on social media?” Take it back old school, sis.
2: Supa Cent. She got famous on social media by sharing her opinions and her family happenings, and hilariously so. Over the years, followers have watched her evolve through relationships and into millionaire status. Folk being in her business got to be too much, so she recently announced she’s no longer sharing her family online. She admitted she was scared to pull back because that transparency is what made her famous. I understood the fear, but I was also like, girl, you so far beyond falling off just because you ain’t posting your husband and kids no mo.
This spoke to my fear of “What if when I come back, I’ve lost half of my followers?” AND?
3: Me! My homegirl sent me a reel of a woman standing up mid-conversation to announce that her social battery had died. “I’ve hit a wall and I have nothing left,” she said. I told my friend I’d done almost the exact same thing about ten years ago. My teaching job had started scheduling more meetings, most of which could’ve been emails. In one particular meeting, my spirit felt like it was clawing my flesh trying to escape. I felt I would literally scream if I sat another second. So I stood up and said I had to go. When they asked if everything was okay, I didn’t fake an emergency. I just explained, in so many words, that my social battery was done.
This spoke to how my fear of “Will I somehow ruin my career if I do this?” Girl, no.
4: Le’Andra LeSeur. Grieving the loss of basketball for a torn ACL, she retreated to the darkroom (initially exposed to photography through required classes) and that pivot reshaped her life. Photography evolved into videography when she realized still images couldn’t hold a story’s fullness. Her videos move slowly on purpose; she wants viewers to pause, process, and participate rather than passively consume. That embodiment led to performance art, and one piece, brown, carmine, and blue, earned her a $200,000 prize. Now living in Tulsa, the NYC native said the South slowed her down, made her more intentional. Most recently, during a Savannah residency, she traveled to nearby sites, creating work rooted in land, memory, and mapping. After a visit to Ebenezer Creek, she returned home and lay in bed for the rest of the day, not naming the feelings, just letting them move through her. She secured the bag, yes, but more importantly, she claimed permission to slow down.
This spoke to my fear of moving so fast, so publicly, that I lose the quiet spaces where grief can become growth and where slowing down might actually reshape my life.
Why a year? Because I take plenty breaks—most times a week, sometimes longer—but it ain’t enough. I liken it to a two-week residency I had in Virginia a few years back. I spent the first 10 days or so in my room, barely coming out, just resting and recharging. By the time I had the energy to engage with others and explore my surroundings, it was almost time to go! Based on my past social media breaks, it’s gon’ take me months just to break the phone addiction.
In 2024, I took a two-month social media break. I wrote a post after each month to share my observations. The first month, I realized it was a phone addiction. I was still picking up my phone every five minutes. I’d click the IG app then remember I’m logged out. Then I’d check my email, then my texts, the time, my notes, even the damn weather app. The second month, I was doing it less but still doing it. So I want a year to completely free myself from it.
Without that distraction, what will I do? I’ll explore more. Already looking forward to retracing a lot of Le’Andra’s footsteps in the Low Country. Beverly Buchanan’s “Marsh Ruins,” for one. I’ll also interview more. Read more. Write more. Sleep more. Connect more—with myself, my environment, and my community. And experiment more! So, yes, I’m excited!
Still a lil nervous, yeah, because I laugh a lot and learn a lot on social media. But I’ll be aight. I still plan to share newsletters, so I’ll keep you posted with how it’s going.
Read about the residency here.
Read about my two months off social media here: Month 1 and Month 2.