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RAYA's avatar

I don’t think you’re wrong. I feel this too and many of us do because guess what? Human beings are analogue! As much as we push forward in digital our brain processes in analogue. We don’t realise it but we long for the pen and paper. 📝🫶🙏

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

That's so true Raya! And I think lots of us are waking up to the effect this constant social media consumption has on us. I'm not sure about the younger generations who grew up with social media, but I remember a time before social media and sometimes miss it.

This is not to say all social media is bad. But overconsumption of anything is not good.

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Moereezaa’s spot's avatar

Yes to pen and paper. There was a TED talk about the difference between writing manually and using a keyboard. Very interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1t90ucM-54

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Nick Reed's avatar

Yes Wajeeha! I so so hear and feel this. The line that got me was the algorithms of the gods comment. When did we agree to give over our power to them?

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

I'm so glad you resonated with this piece Nick. Yes, I often think how much power the algorithm has over us. What bothers me the most is that it's often portrayed as a freedom, but in reality we are all being at the mercy of the algorithm gods.

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Moereezaa’s spot's avatar

I don't think we did, Nick. They took it.

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Sharron Peters's avatar

Crazy how I (a millennial too) came across your blog after quitting all other social media platforms. I still have Facebook at the moment, but that is only because I am in the process of getting all my photos downloaded off of it. Once my photos are off I plan to delete all content off of it and only use Messenger to communicate with people. I will still need to delete my TikTok if it becomes available in the US again, since I had removed all social apps off my phone at the beginning of the year and when I returned to delete my TikTok profile it was no longer in the App Store. I started using Substack a little over a week ago after a few years of reading my friend’s Katie’s blogs and thought it a good place to share thoughts, journeys, or adventures. And like you, I want slow social media that does not absorb my life away. I want to live in the present moment and enjoy life instead of wasting it away.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Yeah I think there's lots of us waking up from the social media coma (as I like to call it). But there's still a long way to go for others. So many people around me just accept it as their reality. But honestly, my life has improved so much since I left all social media. I still have all my accounts, but I don't have the apps on my phone. I never even have the urge to check them now. It took me a long time to get to this point though. It used to be a real addiction in the sense that I would miss it like anything. But that's when I also realized how empty my life had become because of my time being spent on social media. Finding substack has been amazing, and I really do hope there's a future for slow social media.

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Bette A. Ludwig, PhD 🌱's avatar

I think so many of us are feeling exactly what you're expressing. I felt this exact same way about LinkedIn a few years ago and it's steadily gotten worse since then. I never got into Instagram or TikTok. I did spend a lot of time writing on Medium because I felt the most at home there but I feel like that platform is really changing as well. I discovered Substack and I love it here. But I don't want it changing into these other platforms either. It will ruin it.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

I'm glad you were able to relate to the post Bette! Substack is a really good place to be for now. I hope it will be for a long time.

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Bette A. Ludwig, PhD 🌱's avatar

Me too!

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Mack Collier's avatar

It’s funny how the Notes we write where we just share what’s on our heart/mind without thinking much about it, tend to be the Notes that resonate.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

So true Mack!

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Moereezaa’s spot's avatar

Hi Mack - I write notes as well but they don't get many likes or any. But you know what, I write because I love to write. And that's it - really. I never blogged to be liked. In fact, I was reported as spam on Facebook a few times (I think by someone close to me - even though I can't prove it) which led to FB restricting my personal freedom. So adios Facebook! I write to share stories, and Substack seems to be perfect for that!

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Mack Collier's avatar

Hi Moereezaa. My Notes never got any engagement until I had been active for a few months. What has worked for me is if I leave more comments on other people’s Notes and articles, they come leave comments on my content more often. But as you said, as long as you are enjoying what you do, keep at it, you’re winning!

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Moereezaa’s spot's avatar

Hi Mack - thanks for that clarification. And yea, I'm slowly but surely engaging more. Needed to get to know Substack first, and find creators I resonate with. I have a learning permit now, so to speak.

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Mack Collier's avatar

That’s been a wonderful benefit I have found from the engaging, I find people from my same background with similar interests. Just takes a while to build up your network of friends.

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Moereezaa’s spot's avatar

I am here for the long run. Thank you for liking some of my posts. That was not the intention of my reply but I'm grateful for your kindness.

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Modern Day Muse's avatar

Great piece. Authentic and relatable. You had many quotables but this was my favorite - “I want a type of social media, which forces me to think. Which forces me to slow down, and savor life. I don’t want a social media that sucks me in, making me forget to live my real life.” Wishing you all the best doing justice to your thoughts!

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Glad you enjoyed the piece MT. Thanks for reading!

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Elizabeth Ann Huffman's avatar

A note I wrote to myself 2 mornings ago:

Would Van Gogh have chosen to be on social media trying to promote himself if he lived in this era, or would he just paint?

I feel like this is a very easy question to answer.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Wow I love how we had a similar thought Elizabeth! I was nervous about adding that sentence because I wasn’t sure how people would react to it.

But your comment just made my day!

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Nayrah Isla's avatar

This piece touched the core of my soul. I had similar thoughts for years but felt so alone with them because I didn’t see them reflected back online. It’s been a huge pressure against my creativity and the desire to create because it takes thought, love and exploration to do so but yet all that takes time! And where is there any time to make anything of creativity if there is this nagging pressure to churn out creative content ALL THE TIME. It’s so exhausting even just to think of, that I’ve really not done much sadly with my creativity. I didn’t think I fit in and was good enough to meet that pressure. Thank you for writing and publishing this piece. It’s touched many souls and brought some peace to hearts knowing there are others like us out there.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

You are good enough NayIsla, this society and the internet is are the culprit. No matter what we do, how much content create it will never be enough. I've thought about this for a long time, and like you I never saw people talk about it. But I'm sure there are many more of us who feel this way. I'm glad you were able to relate to my thoughts on this topic. Thank you for reading.

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sam's avatar

i remember back in the day when twitter felt like home. where it was that place i could just express myself not caring about algorithms and just finding new people to connect with. met a lot of my now friends there, but it’s changed so much. social media has changed a lot, everything’s so fast paced and draining. substack’s relieving. i have no energy to even check the reels my friends send me… it’s all so, brainrot, as they call it, and my brain can’t handle it anymore.

what a thoughtful article, wajeeha.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Social media has indeed changed a lot over the years Sam. I really miss the good old days, when everything was slower. We are all overwhelmed with the sheer amount of media we are exposed too. I'm really glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for reading!

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Bitacora de latidos's avatar

i was thinking the same for a long time ago, and quit too many times before but i always came back because i didn't find a place where to belong. magically i found substack some days ago and it completely blow my mind, it's a perfect space for just being, a human being. with grief, where the things doesn't go how we were expected, where we can live our lives as magical they are, with all of those sht sometimes. and it's gorgeous! im pretty happy to be part of this community of people who wants more than quickly empty content. thank you for bringing it! it was so nice to read myself in another writer.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

I'm really glad you could connect with my story Mayte. Welcome to Substack, it's an amazing place indeed!

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Violet Decker's avatar

Thanks so much for sharing what all too many of us think and have been through 🫶🏻

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

You're welcome! I'm glad you could relate to my words.

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Charmi Trevadia-Trivedi's avatar

I am so glad Substack algo keeps bringing me back to your writing because this is phenomenal.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Thank you so much Charmi you made my day with this comment!

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Charmi Trevadia-Trivedi's avatar

The pleasure is mine!

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Moereezaa’s spot's avatar

I am new to Substack, too. And I, too, wanted something different than algorithms connected to my every move. Plus it has become toxic as hell because the majority thinks it's their right to just say whatever they want whenever they want. We seem to "forget" that at the other end of the "line" is another human being (with the exception of AI, that is). Life is hard enough as it is. Let's celebrate human connection. It's about finding some kind of tribe you like. Thank you for Enchanted Letters, Wajeeha!

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Thank you for reading, and I'm really glad you enjoyed the post!

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Moereezaa’s spot's avatar

I’m looking forward to more of your writings, Wajeeha!

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Awesome. I send a newsletter every Friday! 😊

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Moereezaa’s spot's avatar

I have subscribed!

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Yay! Thank you and welcome to the Enchanted Letters family. 😍

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Leena S.'s avatar

Such an incredibly authentic reflection. I love the part you shared about not fearing becoming irrelevant by losing social media metrics. It's so easy to attach our self-worth to these vanity metrics by gaining social validation from them. But it's important to remember that even without the likes and comments, we're still equally worthy.

I do think that social media offers us value by being able to connect with like minded people who may otherwise be physically distant from us. I like how you mentioned that social media should convert to slower algorithms to encourage us to live our own lives and connect with others at the same time.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Thanks Leena! I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. I do agree that social media isn't all bad, there are pros to it too. But I do think it's about time some changes are made. Maybe it's too saturated at this point? I'm not sure.

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Susanne's avatar

You come up a lot in my feed! I enjoy and agree with your notes so much, especially that one about video. I quit Instagram this week, because it was getting so exhausting - everything on there is chaos, and even if I didn't even open the app, the feeling that "I should post something" was stressing me out. And the continued push for video, and a moving feed, stresses my brain out. I love to read and look at photos, and that's it (if I want video I go to YouTube). And I'm a photographer and designer, not a video maker.

You're spot on in this post about social media and feeding the algorithm. I also read your post about your food blog - and kept nodding to everything. A few years ago I had an idea about monetising my blog, but after some reading online I changed idea. It's like everyone follows a certain "recipe" and everything online becomes the SAME, and it's the same on social media.

I agree about Substack being a better, calmer place. I love how I've found so many good and interesting blogs here, that people still write and share real thoughts. I just worry that it will change when it grows more popular.

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Wajeeha Nadeem's avatar

Hi Susanne. Thank you for your wonderful comment. And I can't believe how many people are messaging me to say they've been seeing me on the notes feed a lot lately. I don't know what's happening. Haha.

But I really feel deeply about this topic, and the current state of social media. I'm so glad lots of us are waking up to the effects of it, but I think there's a long road ahead. It will take many years for things to really change, or maybe things won't change at all. Who knows.

I get your feelings about changing on Substack, but having been in the blogging industry for a decade now, I know that things are constantly changing. We can just hope for the best, and work on things we can control. Not about things out of our control.

I know it's not much consolation, but I try not take anything too seriously anymore. And one thing I do believe is that the right people will come. Because authenticity attracts.

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Susanne's avatar

Yes, I agree about things changing. Even as the blogging world changed, I continued to do my own thing, and will continue doing that. The best thing to do is continue doing what feels right and authentic. As you say, authenticity attracts, and will do so increasingly as people move away from the fake shiny world of social media.

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