Declaring my independence from social media was not a rebellious act, but a deeply intentional choice. As someone who works “in the biz,” I made the decision to channel my cre8tive talents and services into branding and design rather than tether myself to the relentless demands of social media. That shift earned me not only greater respect and recognition but also better work, better pay, and—most importantly—a seat at the table where I could truly contribute to integrated marketing campaigns and strategies.
This journey taught me that cre8tivity thrives when we set boundaries and align our work with our values. Social media is just one tool in a larger cre8tive arsenal. We each have the power to decide how technology fits into our lives and supports our cre8tive paths. By embracing that freedom, we can reclaim our energy, protect our peace, and do our best work—not for likes or shares, but for lasting impact.
Let this post inspire you to reflect on your own relationship with social media and to prioritize what truly matters for your life and cre8tive journey.
xoxo
{sb}
Protected Peace & Privacy are the new wealth.
You don't need to be in the biz to know how little privacy exists on the Internet, especially social media. For all those naysayers out there who proclaim they have nothing to hide, I challenge you to reconsider – you have everything to lose.
Anything you post can and will be used against you & your kids for eternity. No, really. It's not just your haters and 'big brother' watching, it's schools, insurance companies, lawyers, and millions of shady strangers determined to sabotage the lives of others.
And now enters AI.
At the risk of sounding like a Droid Lover, we as a species really don't want to underestimate AI. Also, humans aren't exactly leading by best example. What are we teaching AI exactly... that we're an ecosystem of fake perfection?
If you're in the biz, you know what I'm talking about.
In the beginning...
Yup, that was me, way back in June of 2015, hosting my Instagram 101 seminar. Enlightening a sold-out crowd of day drinkers on why they needed to expand their social media strategy from just Facebook to also include Instagram. I can still remember the wide-eyed faces of the audience as I described how hashtags worked. lol. #goodtimes
Even then, I was feeling the ICK and experiencing signs of burnout from social media. Instagram was no longer a fun app to connect with people over cool photos. Purchased followers were misleading everyone, like-validation was hooking people faster than heroin, clout was the new contagious virus, and exposure egos were turning the workday into a 24/7 demand.
Everyone knew they needed social media, but nobody wanted to invest the time or pay for it. The number of professional women's groups asking me (the mom of a non-verbal Autistic toddler with zero support services) to attend, give, create & speak about social media FOR FREE was unreal. Social media became so important, yet no one respected it as a "real job" that should be properly compensated.
The #BranfordLove community I created with genuine authentic engagement was being poached and pillaged by every new shoreline account trying to be the next big thing. My DMs were becoming inundated with grifters and opportunists who just wanted to spew their social pollution all over our BranfordLovely feed. I may have loved Branford, but I was falling out of love with Instagram. FAST.
I was hating both the players & the game. Facebook & Instagram were becoming pay-to-play. Boosting posts and paid ads became the new requirement to be seen in the feed.
For clients who already didn't want to pay for social media, they watched their socials evaporate—only to blame the SMM. With each new feature Zuckerberg stole from Snapchat, there was a new time-consuming step required to post, and SMMs were expected to do even more with less.
There was never (and still isn't) anyone at Meta to help when things aren't working. I watched far too many colleagues rely solely on Instagram as their book of business only to lose everything—just like that—when their accounts were hacked.
It only kept getting worse. People were reposting the content I cre8ted with zero tags or credit mentions of any kind and accepting awards for it. Others were posting photos of our child without my or my husband's permission, creating a false digital footprint my child did not ask for. It was infuriating & violating. All anyone would say is, "Then don't share on social media."
In 2016, I cre8ted major boundaries around access and services for each new demand being placed on the social media to-do list. I shifted my brand's focus to content cre8tion and was planning my way off social media personally and professionally.
Back then, there wasn't the discourse there is now about the job descriptions for Social Media. We Cre8tives were expected to do it all for people who had absolutely no clue how it worked. "It's so easy, just make it go viral!" Worse, the same "professionals" spending all day posting nonsense on their personal pages only to complain in the boardroom that their business pages were not performing.
If you want: Integrated Social Strategy Graphic Design Brand Stylist Professional Photography Professional Videography & Video Editing Content Creation: Posts, Stories, Reels, Blogs, Ads - chic carousels, fancy grids Copywriting & Copyediting Account Management -Posting, Sharing - Engagement, following, DMs - Community Building - Hashtag Development Boosting / Advertising / Landing Pages / Conversion Email Funnels Monetization & eCommerce Public Relations & Legal {proactive & reactive} Customer Service .... then you need to pay for it! You also need to have set goals AND need to be available to participate in the process. As you can see, this is an entire TEAM of professionals, not one person at minimum wage.
I started {sb}Cre8tive back in 2007 for the freedom & balance to have a career and a family. I left the agency world because I wanted OUT of the "how early can you get in, how late can you stay" culture. Social media was sucking me right back into an unhealthy and demanding work lifestyle I did not want.
My passion {still} is for the ideas & designs of a fully branded campaign, not just social media. So, I got really specific about the types of services I offered, grew my team of collaborators to fill in the gaps on all the stuff I didn't want to do, and by the summer of 2019, I released myself from all social media management responsibilities.
I also deleted my Facebook business page and I left Instagram for good.
Fast forward to today...
There is a gr8 chance you have seen my cre8tive touches in your social feeds every day over the last decade. I cre8te social media content for lots of gr8 brands and lots of gr8 people. Professionals who value cre8tivity, design, and social media as an integrated part of an overall marketing strategy.
I am deeply gr8ful for this gig, especially for all the people I've had the gr8 privilege to cre8te with.
And, I'm proud to be a BIG HUGE NOBODY on social media! :)
My social life is all mine. It belongs to me. I am under no contractual, professional, or personal obligation to follow, post, like, or share anything for anyone on any social media platform - ever.
When it comes to followers, I say, less is more. Quality, not quantity. You gotta earn the right to be a part of my life and keep the right to remain there. I block generously and without hesitation.
I live free of the shackles to NEED TO POST or ENGAGE. I'm released from all pressures & demands to share any details about my life personally or professionally - to anyone.
THEM: Doesn't that hurt your business?
No. My Cre8tive work speaks for itself. My business comes in via referrals from people in real life, not the internet. I'd get nothing cre8ted for anyone if I was posting about it all day. MORE IMPORTANTLY, the projects I cre8te for don't want you leaking their content on your socials. #nda
Conserving my energy only improves my ability to cre8te and focus on the goals of the brands I cre8te for. My people know I'm not on social media and they know how to find me when they need me.
One of the best things to come out of 2020 was business owners finally recognizing the need for an in-house social team member with outside support. For the first time, businesses were witnessing for themselves how much time & skill is required for consistent quality content creation, posting, and engagement. Collabor8tion is the key to a successful social media presence.
THEM: Don't you get FOMO?
No. I'm much more of a JOMO kinda gal. The more time I'm off social media, the more I'm confident I'm not missing out on anything.
I love my peaceful, private, energy conserving life. I don't need anyone's validation to be happy or feel worthy.
If keeping up with you on social media is a requirement to be deemed your friend or a family member ... I'm totally ok with not being a part of your life.
Embracing a Sacred Social Life
Like it or not, social media is here to stay. The good news is, you get to decide where and how much you consume & share. Your time & digital footprint is yours to do with what you choose. It's totally appropriate to take control of who gets access to your life on & off the internet. Regardless of your profession.
Positive side-effects of a Sacred Social Life include:
More Time, More Peace, More Quiet
Increased Privacy
Healthier Boundaries {Personally & Professionally}
Deeper connections with humans IRL
Better Sleep
Increased Self Awareness
Less Self-Loathing
No More Doom-Scrolling
Increased Focus
Less Distractions
Confidence to stay in your own lane
More time to cre8te
More time to listen, learn, read & write
TRUTH BOMB: Yes, you will learn who your real friends and family are when you step away from social media. They won't like that you're not buying into their drama or fake fairytales. They will be annoyed that you aren't posting updates they can use to judge & slander you. They will avoid speaking to you in public because they'll say you, "ghosted" them by choosing to put yourself first and not spend time liking what they're sharing on social media.
I promise, you won't care. You'll feel incredibly centered, grounded and confident that you made the right decision.
Let's be clear, I'm not anti-social media. I'm for normalizing pro-social-choices for everyone, especially for those who are in the biz. I continue to use social media & cre8te for social media everyday, but with boundaries that allow me to be in control of who has access to my life. Everyone is entitled to live their social media life however they choose. I'm sharing this for those who believe their social life is Sacred and want to treat it as such.
How I use social media to FUEL & INSPIRE my Sacred Social Life
Snapchat
Snapchat is a tool I use to capture photo and video content that I use in other social media places. It's also where I occasionally share & engage exclusively to my VIPS.
Why? Because Snapchat continues to be the leader in consent, user-privacy, and content control features.
There are no likes, no comments, no scrolling. Just daily updates with your undivided attention.
No one can view your Snap content unless you give them permission or you choose to post it publicly.
No one can see who you follow or who follows you. That's right, nobody gets to know we're friends here and nobody can steal your audience.
Perhaps the most important feature: Screenshot Notification Snapchat is the only social medium that lets you know who screenshots your content. I know in real time who's capturing screenshots of me, my work, my home, and my child. YES, you should absolutely be giving a shit about this.
SCREENSHOT PSA: Screenshots are for recipes, skincare reviews, or posts that say SCREENSHOT ME FOR LATER. If you're screenshotting photos of me, my child, or even my cat - you are immediately blocked, I don't care who you {think} you are.
Pinterest Brainstorming and ideas are my love language! I love Pinterest because I don't have to engage to be rewarded with the content I want to see.
Pinterest serves me a customized feed of my interests. I don't need to like or comment on anything. I can effortlessly keep my boards private and share them with others via various methods, including text and email.
I agree, there are A LOT of ads on Pinterest these days. But at least Pinterest AI takes into consideration the apps I have on my phone and it serves me ads specifically for the stores I shop.
Twitter {yes, it will always be Twitter}
I know what you're thinking, but for concise news & information needs, Twitter is the most functional of all the social dumpster fires.
Elon continues to be the prime example of 'what not to do', but the Twitter community continues to prove we can thrive in the chaos.
Twitter is the fastest & easiest social platform if you know how to use lists to sort & organize your content streams. With my morning coffee I can catch up on what's trending in Local & World News, Autism Twitter, Marketing Twitter, SMM Twitter, Disability Twitter, Astrology Twitter, and yes, adorable cat videos. I do suggest BLOCKING people generously on Twitter. It's the only way to control the algorithm.
FACT: Twitter is where the conversation is happening FIRST across all platforms. Anything that's happening on other mediums {including TikTok}, is shared & discussed FIRST on Twitter. Save yourself TIME & ENERGY. Everything you're seeing on LinkedIn & Threads is a screenshot of what Twitter was talking about last week. If you are a professional in your field and you are not on Twitter, you are the last to know.
You can find me on Twitter at @sbcre8tive
BUT WHAT ABOUT MY BUSINESS {sb}?
Believe or else, there are many other ways to market your business. Social Media is just 1 of many strategies available under the Marketing Umbrella. Putting all your eggs in the Social Media basket is a HUGE mistake. No social media is better than bad social media.
"The most underrated marketing strategy is consistently managing your business effectively. Doing what you say your going to do {always} and earn the trust, referrals, and repeat business of your customers for life." - {sb}
If I were hosting a Social Media 101 seminar today, these are the tips I'd give:
Choose the 1 Social Medium you like the most and engage 100 times more than you post
Read the Room MORE THAN you read the comments
DO YOU, whatever that is, consistently & honestly, pay no attention to anyone else
IMAGE CRED: A Digital Artist's Honest Renderings of Social Media
The Future of Social Media for those in the biz Who knows? Hopefully, more accountability & transparency with less snakeoil & 'influenzas'.
I feel for all Social Media Managers out there. The expectations continue to grow while the poor compensation stays the same. Business owners need to understand Social Media Managers (SMMs) are not designers, they are not photographers, they are not customer service reps. It's time SMMs got the support they needed to do their job well. #emailsb
There also needs to be more and better clarification on what things are called in Social Media. For example UGC {User Generated Content} vs. Content Creators. Those are two different jobs and people.
We, the People have the power to cre8te Social change. Social media hasn't been around that long. There is still time to save future generations from the mistakes that are being made. There is still time to say FU to Zucks and free ourselves from the Metaverse we didn't' ask for. There is still time to live the American Dream and run your business the way you want to.
It's your choice.
Hi, I’m {sb}, owner of {sb}Cre8tive Branding & Content Cre8tion, an American entrepreneur, and a passionate autism advocate. These are my Cre8tive Notes, an unfiltered account of life’s Cre8tive Journey.
Join me in exploring the realms of cre8tivity, self-employment, and autism parenting—a space where truths are unveiled, experiences are shared, and lessons are learned.
For inquiries, please email: sb@sbcre8tive.com
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