Ep 9. Why I Stopped Reading Snark & Deleted My Instagram

Oooo today’s episode is a little all over the place but it all centers around the central crux of my inner examination this week: what am I using Instagram (and social media) for and is it making me happy?Spoiler: the answer was no. But tracing the history and evolution of my snark consumption was extra illuminating when it came to why the internet makes me feel bad more often than not. And also, I think it was making me a meaner person.Am I getting rid of all social media? No! Do I have judgment for anyone who still has and uses Instagram? Of course not! Is all snark bad and bannable? Nah, definitely not, gossip is an inherent part of how we share humanity, but my interactions with it have gone on for a long time and I don’t like the road I’m seeing ahead.So, somehow this also got traced back to the origins of the modern internet: the early beauty youtube gurus who built several multi-billion dollar industries on their back. Also got to talk a little bit about the Caroline Calloway subreddit and how I read it as a form of (light) self-bullying. Plus! The mini me-too movement of YouTube, why NYC influencers are uniquely strange in their content, and why normies getting on the internet might be the ultimate downfall of it.Links!Offline with Jon Favreau - The Inside Story of How Silicon Valley Rewired Our BrainsNBC article about the Trisha Paytas Subreddit Get full access to Smoke Show at smokeshow.substack.com/subscribe