I've vastly improved my Instagram experience recently:
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So, from the beginning I just followed artists, photographers, and a few musicians, then a bunch of random models and actors. The artists and photographers use it for a business so they keep it super nice and vanilla. The musicians too mostly. The models/actors though...pic.twitter.com/JHZWKTBovJ
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Models are the worst. So obviously fake, constant drama, constantly promoting their model friends, and really nothing interesting. I frequently unfollow them when I can, but instagram pushes them hard. I'd say if you feel unhappy on social media, unfollow models.
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Actors are usually alright, but they are--by definition--full of drama and promotion of random things. That's fine but then once in a while they just explode with some kind of personal depressing angst. 1.5mil followers, tons of money, beautiful, and still depressed.
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Artists though at the top levels are just posting paintings to sell them. Photographers too but usually it's to sell courses. I don't know many photographers selling on instagram like artists do. So they're posts are always upbeat, happy, and casually selling. It's nice.
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But, I also follow a lot of artists who are amateurs and just posting their attempts at art. These folks are just normal people posting things they make, and not really selling anything. The art is all over the place and a lot of times they're doing it as a therapy of sorts.
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So even though a lot of these amateurs (say <400 followers) are also depressed they also don't really throw up insane drama like actors do, and they aren't frequently incredibly fake like the models are. It's usually just earnest people trying to express something in art.
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I decided about 4 months ago to do an experiment and follow a TON of amateur artists. Just finding hashtags and looking for beginner art and follow. Tons and tons of beginners all doing wacky stuff. Acrylic dog paintings, bob ross landscapes, pen and ink malformed faces.
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And it's the best thing ever! I open my instagram and it's a bunch of beginners really trying hard and earnestly just posting art they tried to make, and a lot of it is really original and fun. My feed is a bunch of people playing and having fun and being weird.
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Then I go through and I like as many as I can, and honestly I do really like a lot of it. I see how much they put into it and how they're at least trying something new. Some folks I DM and talk to them about their art. It also washes out a lot of the model/actor garbage.
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One guy I've been following does nothing but abstract acrylic paintings using dripping and splashing who's been painting for about 6 months. His paintings are awesome and he has a very good sense of composition. In like 6 months he's done something like 1000 paintings.
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So I DM him to talk about his paintings and he says he was depressed for a while but painting makes him feel better, so that's why he does so many. Recently I was talking to him and he's started to sell them now too. In like 6 months! Totally an amateur just doing it for fun.
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I also unfollow a lot of people, and try to keep the follower count around 6000 people so I can keep it fresh. I just keep it on a theme of "mostly amateur art" and it's working great. Instagram is easily my favorite social media system now and full of lots of fun.
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The takeaway is: If instagram (or other social media) is making you sad it's most likely who you follow. Ditch it if it bothers you, but maybe just try following better people and avoid people who are faking a better life than yours to get followers. Also avoid narcissists.
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