My Blackout Was Instagram
...and all I got was this stupid post.
Time has become an enemy of mine lately and as much as I try to fight it, it’s a fight I always lose. Whether it’s ruminating about wasting time, not having enough time or the acceleration of time in my 40’s, I find time to be, as they say, money now more than ever. After having re-read my last post, I wanted to piggy back on the idea of time and the space we need to utilize and embrace time in a way that doesn’t feel like a total waste.
Like many, especially those in my algorithmic sphere, I participated in the National Shutdown Blackout strike last Friday where people were encouraged to not go to work, school or spend money. It turned out to be a big success in terms of people on the street and awareness, but I couldn’t find any metrics or stats showing how it affected the economy or if it put any pressure at all on the billionaire class at all. I would guess it didn’t do much because it’s been a week and it’s business as usual. Perhaps it was more symbolic than anything else but at this point, the idea is that the more often we do this (monthly? weekly?) the more we may ideally see considerable change. With that said, there was movement in congress in terms of changing ICE tactics and showing more accountability, because what is happening is clearly not the way. Time will tell.
To ask everyone to not spend money, go to work or go to school can be quite the heavy task for many. I do have feelings about people not going to school and there are many jobs that are needed everyday like teachers and people in health care for example, but I will always stand by the idea of marching in the streets in solidarity with people to highlight the disparities of justice and the lack of accountability there is, especially now with this administration and really, power in general in 2026.
For me, I believe that there is a level of privilege that comes with abstaining from all three, so as it was, I was only able to truly partake in one. I felt work was important because to leave my clients behind would be to defeat the whole purpose. Since I am also in school,I couldn’t not do homework because deadlines are deadlines, right? What I was able to do was not spend a nickel that day. It felt good in my wallet, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I felt weird not spending any money on a Friday, but it was worth it.
There is a fourth component that I felt was overlooked regarding striking and blacking out and that’s social media, specifically the Meta apps like Instagram and Facebook. Meta has been a thief of our time (wink, wink) for far too long and our time spent on these apps is more profit for them and less fulfillment for us. It’s a blueprint built on stealing time and attention, which is time and attention that could go to building a mutual aid group, writing an inspiring protest song, drawing protest signs, literally ANYTHING. Of course, there is a double-edged sword because many use Instagram and Facebook to spread information about things that are happening, on the ground, in real time. I can say without Instagram, I wouldn’t know where things are taking place, when and why and in terms of what’s happening now in LA, where to help neighbors during ICE raids, how to join a kit building group, etc. It’s a news source, albeit an algorithmic, one sided one if you make it so, which is also part of the problem. These apps don’t just waste our time, they actively divide us and as we fall further into our own algorithms we forget that there is an actual world to experience, people to talk to and action to take outside of re-shares and story posts. Yes, re-sharing and story posting is good to spread the word, but at this point, it’s not enough. We need to get our time back.
The time, separation, isolation, fear are all very indicative of addictive behaviors. Shopping and gambling are considered an addiction, so should scrolling, which is based on slot machine machinations and buying stuff.
“ Smartphone apps demand our attention and are so powerful that a tenth of a second vibration in our pocket is enough to make us grab our phones to check, mid-conversation. Our devices are always calling us, even when silently nearby.” - Erika Detweiler, LISW
I have addiction in my blood and have experienced addiction first hand and second hand and my experience with social media and scrolling feels familiar and it’s similar to what my clients, young and old, tell me when they decide why they hit their vape, do drugs or any maladaptive coping behavior really. It’s a compulsion based on deep insecurities within us. I go to Instagram (or whatever app) when I am bored, when I am distressed, when I check for validation and when I am wanting to avoid feeling something. Throughout the day there are moments that I would open my phone and find something to look at as if I was missing something and I’m usually not. If anything, it’s activating a sense of FOMO for something that had nothing to do with me in the first place. Not good for someone with insecurities, so the cycle of stress, need for validation and avoidance continues.
So with all of that said, I made the decision to abstain from Instagram, my worst offender, last Friday. This wasn’t meant for heroics, or an attempt to make a profound statement, nor am I the first to say or do this but I did this because I truly do believe there is an insidious nature to these apps, but more importantly for me, I wanted to maintain my sanity. I have been overstimulated, over-stressed and riddled with anxiety for a while now and I wanted to get my time back and see if it made a difference, even if for one day. I wanted to actually be present, like I am when I’m on a run or on stage playing with my band and I think being present is in itself a form of rebellion in 2026 just as effective, if not more, than a monthly march.
This too was a rad way of showing solidarity and utilizing passion…
Damn. It was hard. In the morning when I wake up and do my routine one of the first things I do out of pure compulsory habit is check Instagram messages or pings (my notifications are turned off) and wouldn’t you know, that Friday the first thing I did out of compulsory habit was open the app. Realizing immediately that I was not supposed to, I turned it right off. It happened THAT fast. This is how addicted I am. The compulsions came and went throughout the morning, but I maintained and by the end of the day, I wasn’t even thinking about it. I wanted to know how the protests were going, if there was push back, etc, but I refrained and I was present, just like I wanted to be. I didn’t know about anything that happened that day until my band mates gave me the update the following day at a video shoot. It felt nice to not have been inundated with 6 inch images all day. I knew that time went on without me and I was cool with it for once.
What I learned from abstaining from Instagram for the day was that I was less edgy, less stimulated, more engaged and in the moment, even if that moment was a short quiet break from work looking at planes fly by. The disengagement made me feel MORE engaged with myself and my surroundings, not what was happening on the other side of town or the world. More importantly, I got time back. I’m not one who spends hours on these apps, but combined throughout the week, I could have engaged in something else instead of making money for Mark Zuckerberg, I could be making money for myself, or engaging in real life with someone or frankly, doing nothing. The kind of nothing that opens my mind up for exploration, which I long for again.
I may sound like a broken record, but with any abstinence or any change of maladaptive behaviors, like an addiction, an opposite action needs to be taken and it needs to be as consistent as the problem behavior was. It needs to build, like a muscle. For me, writing here or talking about it with others on the regular will help push me away from the addictive behavior until the compulsory habit ceases to be, or evolves into a more adaptive one. Time will tell.
Thanks for reading. Talk soon.
ETC:
Pre-order’s are up for The Pretty Flowers next record, Never Felt Bitter (good title, right?) and here’s a post from the band with links to stream it, some press and how to buy it. Thanks in advance!
I am playing drums for my old buddy Eli Taratula (The Monolators) on Sunday, February 15 in Eagle Rock at The Fable. It’s a free show! Why not?!
Sunday, February 15 is also the next Los Angeles Cinephile Run Club event. We’ll be running through Torrance, checking out locations from the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Hosted by Monkish Brewing.
Your instagram story mention of abstaining on Friday in protest prompted me to do it too! I had to actually delete the app because….totally addicted. I stayed off for 3 whole days! I did feel like I was missing something (legend Catherine O’Hara died that day. 🥲) but it was nice to turn off the constant noise. In this age of constant fire storms I’m sure shutting down for a day has to be so good for our mental health. (I guess that’s what the sabbath is all about.)