I found you through AHP and I'm so glad I did. I'm a Gen Xer, one who blogged - though it was more of the spicy type than the mommy bloggers (but follow them I did) - and I bought your book. It is just fascinating! I'm about halfway through but one thing you wrote really has haunted me and it was section on mirror neurons. That we look at Instagram and feel all swept up by a perfect shot (chickens! New York apartments! adorable babies!) and then we feel as if we actually HAD that experience. In some ways it makes us less likely to try to create that experience for ourselves. And in a way we did have a mediated experience (as my communications prof husband would say). We consume to feel as if we did the thing, but we didn't actually do the thing, so we are still hungry as if all are eating is food flavored cardboard.
This happens in our online experience of news as well of course, but in a deeply negative way, around varying propagandas-Is Seattle really dying or do we feel like it is because we watched that "documentary" about it? Etc.
I also happened to watch the Netflix series Painkiller and while I was watching the scenes of people ruining their lives over opioids, I was scrolling Twitter on my phone ( not concentrating, mindlessly looking for....what?) and I thought SHIT, that's terrible! Every time I'd stop for a while I'd get this itch to scroll much like an itch to smoke.
It's off my phone now and I'm committing to a type of social fast. Longform only, news, and a focusing on posting and creating rather than consuming it, and figuring out how to readjust how my neurons work (ha!). That very topic of how we believe we experience through a mediated journey through social media deserves its own book I think, especially since tech is trying to figure out VR.
I am OBSESSED with very large families and Mormon Instagram. I’m not sure why. I’m not at all doing it to mock them or because it’s funny. It’s a pure sort of fascination with the logistics. My own kid logistics are mind boggling but not like that. I view it as a sort of escape and release valve.
I had never heard of Ballerina Farm until I read about Hannah Neeleman in your newsletter, and even though I can't stand myself every time I do it, I still scroll through her shit from time to time. Why?! I only shake my head and mutter, "this is so much bullshit" when I do! Same with Kelly Havens Stickle!
I ordered those sheets IMMEDIATELY, they'll be here on Friday! :D
Sara, I'm glad you're back! I follow reallyverycrunchy on Instagram as a light hearted humor about crunchy moms. I am not crunchy AT ALL, but she's one of a number of funny moms I follow (like Jane, who pokes fun at status y Utah m moms, or mommacusses for 'alternative' parenting). I swear I read an article somewhere who said she was 'in on the joke' and that's why I followed her.
I had been noticing her husband appearing in a lot more videos, and she recently did one explaining how they got into the influencer biz, which was interesting. The next video I saw was basically an anti vax video, and the comment section was like my blinders had been lifted. So many women thanking her exposing the vaccine game, talking about vaccine 'injuries', calling g people 'silky', etc. There were a few of us like wait a minute, this is not what I thought it was. And I commented (mistake) and several came for me, but whatever.
So it's not like 'I can't quit her' in a good way, but I haven't unfollowed yet.
Oh, and I followed a cute young teacher (mrsmunchsmunchkins) because she posted a video of her good morning song set to 'Bejeweled' and then she posted a video where she prays (to Jesus, of course) for each child in her empty classroom at the beginning of the school year and all the parents thanking her and teachers saying they do the same thing YIKES.
Apparently I've had a rough few weeks on Instagram :)
My sister and I talked about this today- Bachelor Nation momfluencers are hard for us to quit! I’m not particularly drawn to the trad wife types, but I can’t stop checking on these women who were on The Bachelor/Bachelorette (we started watching in college so some of the people we follow are from as far back as 2009. Ali Manno comes to mind as someone who I can’t watch on a daily basis bc her content is too much but I feel the need to check in on the kids. And then she throws a 7th birthday party that’s on par with my wedding and I have to take a break again. MAFS people are others we follow and I always have the same feeling of these people are over sharing their life and kids but I keep coming back!
Chloe and Beans is the one I still check in on occasionally even though I've been off social for years...an Australian family with twins & triplets, out of 9 kids. Such a different experience than mine!
I found you through AHP and I'm so glad I did. I'm a Gen Xer, one who blogged - though it was more of the spicy type than the mommy bloggers (but follow them I did) - and I bought your book. It is just fascinating! I'm about halfway through but one thing you wrote really has haunted me and it was section on mirror neurons. That we look at Instagram and feel all swept up by a perfect shot (chickens! New York apartments! adorable babies!) and then we feel as if we actually HAD that experience. In some ways it makes us less likely to try to create that experience for ourselves. And in a way we did have a mediated experience (as my communications prof husband would say). We consume to feel as if we did the thing, but we didn't actually do the thing, so we are still hungry as if all are eating is food flavored cardboard.
This happens in our online experience of news as well of course, but in a deeply negative way, around varying propagandas-Is Seattle really dying or do we feel like it is because we watched that "documentary" about it? Etc.
I also happened to watch the Netflix series Painkiller and while I was watching the scenes of people ruining their lives over opioids, I was scrolling Twitter on my phone ( not concentrating, mindlessly looking for....what?) and I thought SHIT, that's terrible! Every time I'd stop for a while I'd get this itch to scroll much like an itch to smoke.
It's off my phone now and I'm committing to a type of social fast. Longform only, news, and a focusing on posting and creating rather than consuming it, and figuring out how to readjust how my neurons work (ha!). That very topic of how we believe we experience through a mediated journey through social media deserves its own book I think, especially since tech is trying to figure out VR.
Thanks for all these amazing posts.
I am OBSESSED with very large families and Mormon Instagram. I’m not sure why. I’m not at all doing it to mock them or because it’s funny. It’s a pure sort of fascination with the logistics. My own kid logistics are mind boggling but not like that. I view it as a sort of escape and release valve.
I had never heard of Ballerina Farm until I read about Hannah Neeleman in your newsletter, and even though I can't stand myself every time I do it, I still scroll through her shit from time to time. Why?! I only shake my head and mutter, "this is so much bullshit" when I do! Same with Kelly Havens Stickle!
I ordered those sheets IMMEDIATELY, they'll be here on Friday! :D
Sara, I'm glad you're back! I follow reallyverycrunchy on Instagram as a light hearted humor about crunchy moms. I am not crunchy AT ALL, but she's one of a number of funny moms I follow (like Jane, who pokes fun at status y Utah m moms, or mommacusses for 'alternative' parenting). I swear I read an article somewhere who said she was 'in on the joke' and that's why I followed her.
I had been noticing her husband appearing in a lot more videos, and she recently did one explaining how they got into the influencer biz, which was interesting. The next video I saw was basically an anti vax video, and the comment section was like my blinders had been lifted. So many women thanking her exposing the vaccine game, talking about vaccine 'injuries', calling g people 'silky', etc. There were a few of us like wait a minute, this is not what I thought it was. And I commented (mistake) and several came for me, but whatever.
So it's not like 'I can't quit her' in a good way, but I haven't unfollowed yet.
Oh, and I followed a cute young teacher (mrsmunchsmunchkins) because she posted a video of her good morning song set to 'Bejeweled' and then she posted a video where she prays (to Jesus, of course) for each child in her empty classroom at the beginning of the school year and all the parents thanking her and teachers saying they do the same thing YIKES.
Apparently I've had a rough few weeks on Instagram :)
My sister and I talked about this today- Bachelor Nation momfluencers are hard for us to quit! I’m not particularly drawn to the trad wife types, but I can’t stop checking on these women who were on The Bachelor/Bachelorette (we started watching in college so some of the people we follow are from as far back as 2009. Ali Manno comes to mind as someone who I can’t watch on a daily basis bc her content is too much but I feel the need to check in on the kids. And then she throws a 7th birthday party that’s on par with my wedding and I have to take a break again. MAFS people are others we follow and I always have the same feeling of these people are over sharing their life and kids but I keep coming back!
Chloe and Beans is the one I still check in on occasionally even though I've been off social for years...an Australian family with twins & triplets, out of 9 kids. Such a different experience than mine!