Why Your Relationship with Instagram is Toxic
Just like your real-life relationships, sometimes your relationship with Instagram can become toxic. It may seem silly to some, but with today's instant gratification and need to feel recognized via social media, the hold these platforms have on our psyche is frightening.
Because social media can be so helpful to our businesses and our success, we tend to let things slide... more so than we would in our relationships IRL. If you've been wondering whether or not your relationship with Instagram is healthy, take a look at these 4 warning signs that you're in a toxic situation.
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You Constantly Compare Yourself
Social media is great because it opens the window to see how others live... and succeed. There are thousands of people who have turned themselves into millionaires through social media and it's both encouraging and devastating to see.
On a smaller scale, you might be following people on Instagram that work in the same field as you do. It's only natural and good business etiquette to research their platforms to see what they are doing to succeed.
It becomes a problem, however, if you start comparing yourself to your competition/colleagues on a daily basis. This type of behavior is toxic through all facets of life, but it's especially pernicious on Instagram because the comparison can go on forever. Once you get over one person succeeding over you, you can find someone new to compare yourself to in minutes. There's no limit to the madness.
You Think You're Not Good Enough
Following the constant need to compare your business to others might come the feeling of unworthiness. If you find yourself scrolling through Instagram or deleting photos on your account, it might be the result of self-contempt. Feeling like you're not good enough because of the kind of pictures you post or from the number of likes and followers you have is a toxic mindset to have.
It's easy to tell you "there's no reason to feel that way" because everyone is different and that's a good thing! But when today's society and business success is measured by vanity metrics like this, you may find it hard to tell yourself that you are good enough.
Your Relationship with Instagram is Toxic When You Become Obsessive
Social media as a whole, but especially with Instagram, has this strange ability to bring out the compulsive behavior in all of us. Recently I started to notice that I would pick up my phone and thumb through Instagram anytime I had a fraction of a second of free time. Then it became worse and I felt the need to mindlessly check Instagram during conversations, while working on projects, and even when watching TV.
I quickly realized this toxic obsessive behavior needed to be dealt with. Being obsessed with anything is pretty unhealthy (unless it's coffee, amiright?) but compulsively coming back to an app where you can compare yourself and simultaneously put yourself down is counterproductive and won't help your business grow.
You Take More Than You Give
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By this what I mean is, you expect more out of your relationship than you're willing to give. If you expect to have 10,000 followers but you're only posting once a week, maybe manage your expectations.
You may also expect (based on the people you obsessively compare yourself to) your business to be further along than it is by now. Or maybe you expected that blogging and Instagramming would propel your business further into success overnight. The thing is, there is no magic formula that will guarantee your success through Instagram. The only thing you can do put out more content, promote it, and simply give it more time. Good things don't happen overnight.
How To Fix Your Relationship with Instagram
If any of these things spoke to you, then your relationship with Instagram might be toxic. But don't worry, I have a few solutions for you!
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Engage
One way to make your business' Instagram success more prominent and move a little bit faster is to engage with others in the community. This is a way healthier option than secretly stalking and comparing yourself to others in your industry. By engaging with them, you'll begin to look at these people more as colleagues than competition. You'll build relationships and maybe even generate a new way to get more business.
Give and Take
The big takeaway here is that you need to treat your relationship with Instagram the same way you treat your real relationships. The more you put into it, the more you can expect from your partner, right?
You and IG might not hit it right off the bat, but by consistently showing up and providing entertainment and advice in your niche, you will eventually build a relationship (and an audience) that will work in your favor.
Set Limits
If all you did was hang out with your best friend all day, every day, you would eventually get sick of them. You might start fighting more or you might even indulge in some of the toxic habits we discussed here.
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When you take a step back from relationships, you give yourself room to breathe and grow. So set limits for yourself. Only be on Instagram when you need to be, such as when you need to promote a new blog post or you're live streaming at an event. Use an app like Later to schedule posts so that you don't get sucked into the Instagram universe for a prolonged period of time. Because I guarantee you, the more time you spend on Instagram, the more likely you are to develop a toxic relationship.
