See now, this is why I like being a Gen Xer who still remembers life before social media, before parasocial relationships, before all of it. So well expressed.
We had different problems then, of course. But at least we could switch off. And have proper rest from the outside world instead of having the phone always there, just sitting in our peripheral vision, waiting to interrupt our solitude.
Amanda, please block EVERYONE who says hateful things to you, immediately. Also, if you need to take an extended break from the phone, know that all of your subscribers will still be here when you get back. Please take care of yourself!
Lia!! Sometimes I feel like I ask God for help and then you come my way. Literally all the time. I honestly can’t thank you enough! I’ve been learning to take my time and take things slowly because I know I have your support and the support of everyone on our amazing group chat. Things are so much easier when you have support and for that I can’t thank you enough! You’re so important to me, and writing is also so important to me. I love sharing it, and I don’t feel like the negative comments will ever stop me from doing what I love. I’m just worried about the proportion of some hateful comments sometimes, but as I was saying, they don’t exist when I close my phone. It’s all about being respectful and kind, being safe and not sharing personal information at the end of the day! I’ll be okay! ❤️
I think this is the problem that comes with fame - so many haters and admirers who are blissfully unaware of the toll that it takes on your psyche. I can imagine this is why a lot of big social media influencers and celebrities don't read their comment sections. I hope you're okay and safe!
omg Aliena!!! I can’t even IMAGINE having a bigger platform. I mean, I’m growing every single day and that makes me super happy, but if I ever get to this point, I certainly will start to think about some stuff lol. I love interacting with people in the comments and on my notes, but I’ll definitely start to filter some things. I literally don’t know who’s well intentioned and who’s not. It hurts me that I can’t treat every single person in here like my personal best friends!! My new motto is literally “always be kind, always stay safe and don’t share personal information”!
i've been thinking about you so so much this week -- i wish i could give you a big hug (i am right now from afar 🫂) i appreciate you, your friendship, and your writing always!!
AWWW!! I thought of you a lot while writing this as well and I’m really really grateful to have you in my life, even if virtually! ALSO GIVING YOU A BIG HUG FROM AFAR and I appreciate you always as well!! my best girlll!!! may we keep sharing calico critters stuff with each other and keep sharing our light with each other, no matter how tough it gets. Love u always!!! 🫶🏻🎀
This was SO PROFOUND!!!! And so necessary to be written?!! I can’t imagine dealing with that much attention : good and bad. I don’t understand people who leave hateful comments at all??? Like where did you get the audacity (unless it’s very obviously morally wrong) i love you!!!! I’m always here to talk❤️
ella my sweet!!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 I feel like no one gets prepared to deal with a certain amount of attention, and that’s why some people crack from the pressure. It’s not easy, and I guess life never teaches you exactly how to deal with things like that, how to deal with people that you’ve never seen in your life saying you shouldn’t be alive, or that you’re a dog. It’s horrifying. We’re all here (still persevering) because of the love we receive in the same proportion (if not, even more) and because we love our craft. You’re such a lovely person and ilysm 🥹🫶🏻 thank you for bringing me some light!
I infact thought of you today even when I was off my phone, I know you exist somewhere on the planet and we share the same sun and moon and stars 🌙 I hope you are doing better today!
well well well amanda i don’t know what to say. people can be assholes on here behind the mask of fake niceties. deconnect from your phone; write in a journal, read a book i’m sure you know all that but please take care of yourself. there are people here who love you <3
luciana!! thank you so much for always being here for me! Having friends that support you through the hard times also helps a lot! Thank you for being so patient and supportive, I really appreciate that a lot! You mean the world to me, and that’s why I can log off and be happy offline, because I know that there are people who will truly be there for me! I love u!!! 🥹🫶🏻🌟💌
Wow, this so perfectly expressed what it's like to write online - the need to be two people, to constantly anticipate good faith misinterpretations, bad faith misinterpretations, to consider every possible perspective when, really, all I have is my own. All this has been getting to me lately. Thanks for putting it so beautifully!!
Sarah! Thank you so much for your comment, I appreciate it so much! So many people have been sharing similar experiences, and it’s definitely something sad, but I feel like we can all encourage each other to not have to deal with being two people all the time. It’s so exhausting to consider every perspective and to be aware of things 24/7! Let’s explore our own perspective (without the phone) and celebrate that because it truly is all we have! ❤️
sending you love and comfort!! with every passing day, a flip phone seems more alluring. i believe we’ll find the balance someday—until then, we get to pick each other’s brains here
thank you for the love, definitely sending it right back to you! 🫂🌟
and oh my GOD a flip phone definitely seems more alluring. I feel like I’m trying to find the balance for my own routine (like, turning off the phone and having less screen time, blocking people who say mean things) and it has been working!! I have hope! <3333
one thing i genuinely admire about your writing is your ability to put things in such a positively straightforward way, i always need to hear something and i seem to sometimes stumble upon one of your posts that says exactly what i needed! funnily enough, i've been writing about a similar topic too, and i'm not even famous haha. just with social media in general, i feel like i'm not a person without the acknowledgment of other people (especially online) it's hard to put into words but i soooo get it.
anyway, remember to take breaks, real ones. take your own advice, we'll all still be here when you come back :) this stuck with me "I am nothing when I close my phone. I love existing in the nothingness." <33
Thank you a million times! Send me your piece when it’s done, I’d love to read it! And I can’t even imagine how many times I’ve felt like I wasn’t a person without the online validation. I’ve been seeing more people, watching more movies, reading more books, understanding more perspectives, and that definitely helps a lot. Thank you again for always being so kind! 🥹🫶🏻🫂💌🌟
that's so nice, i'll tag you for sure! and yay for doing more things, going places, consuming more meaningfully, trying to do the same haha. and aw nooo thank you for always being so wonderful 💗💗
If it helps, you've inspired me (and so many others). I can (just barely) remember a time before social media and it was quieter. I get the same anxiety the more I spend online reacting, reading, comparing. Block those creepy haters.
Hi there! Knowing I’ve inspired you definitely helps. It also puts me in the right direction and it motivates me to keep doing this, no matter what, so thank you so much! I really appreciated that! You truly made my day! Sometimes I wish we could go back to these days (without social media), and I think we all share the same anxiety about these things… So awful! The block button is being used! Definitely lol! Again, thank you so much for your lovely comment!! ❤️
update: i’m okay!!! i promise!!! lol! :)))
wow this hit me hard, sending hugs your way 🫂
emily! 🥹🫂 sending you so much love as well! 💌
See now, this is why I like being a Gen Xer who still remembers life before social media, before parasocial relationships, before all of it. So well expressed.
Zivah! Thank you so much for reading, I truly appreciate it! If only I could experience being a Gen Xer…
We had different problems then, of course. But at least we could switch off. And have proper rest from the outside world instead of having the phone always there, just sitting in our peripheral vision, waiting to interrupt our solitude.
Amanda, please block EVERYONE who says hateful things to you, immediately. Also, if you need to take an extended break from the phone, know that all of your subscribers will still be here when you get back. Please take care of yourself!
Lia!! Sometimes I feel like I ask God for help and then you come my way. Literally all the time. I honestly can’t thank you enough! I’ve been learning to take my time and take things slowly because I know I have your support and the support of everyone on our amazing group chat. Things are so much easier when you have support and for that I can’t thank you enough! You’re so important to me, and writing is also so important to me. I love sharing it, and I don’t feel like the negative comments will ever stop me from doing what I love. I’m just worried about the proportion of some hateful comments sometimes, but as I was saying, they don’t exist when I close my phone. It’s all about being respectful and kind, being safe and not sharing personal information at the end of the day! I’ll be okay! ❤️
I think this is the problem that comes with fame - so many haters and admirers who are blissfully unaware of the toll that it takes on your psyche. I can imagine this is why a lot of big social media influencers and celebrities don't read their comment sections. I hope you're okay and safe!
omg Aliena!!! I can’t even IMAGINE having a bigger platform. I mean, I’m growing every single day and that makes me super happy, but if I ever get to this point, I certainly will start to think about some stuff lol. I love interacting with people in the comments and on my notes, but I’ll definitely start to filter some things. I literally don’t know who’s well intentioned and who’s not. It hurts me that I can’t treat every single person in here like my personal best friends!! My new motto is literally “always be kind, always stay safe and don’t share personal information”!
i've been thinking about you so so much this week -- i wish i could give you a big hug (i am right now from afar 🫂) i appreciate you, your friendship, and your writing always!!
AWWW!! I thought of you a lot while writing this as well and I’m really really grateful to have you in my life, even if virtually! ALSO GIVING YOU A BIG HUG FROM AFAR and I appreciate you always as well!! my best girlll!!! may we keep sharing calico critters stuff with each other and keep sharing our light with each other, no matter how tough it gets. Love u always!!! 🫶🏻🎀
calico critters will always be shared between us darling! love you always!!
sending lots of love 🤍🤍 social media can be a very difficult and dark place sometimes. your words always hit the right spot fr
AWWW thank you so so much for that! I love you always always alwayssss 🥹🫶🏻💌
ilym😌🫶🏼
This was SO PROFOUND!!!! And so necessary to be written?!! I can’t imagine dealing with that much attention : good and bad. I don’t understand people who leave hateful comments at all??? Like where did you get the audacity (unless it’s very obviously morally wrong) i love you!!!! I’m always here to talk❤️
ella my sweet!!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 I feel like no one gets prepared to deal with a certain amount of attention, and that’s why some people crack from the pressure. It’s not easy, and I guess life never teaches you exactly how to deal with things like that, how to deal with people that you’ve never seen in your life saying you shouldn’t be alive, or that you’re a dog. It’s horrifying. We’re all here (still persevering) because of the love we receive in the same proportion (if not, even more) and because we love our craft. You’re such a lovely person and ilysm 🥹🫶🏻 thank you for bringing me some light!
always always here ❣️❣️ i’m so sorry about these horrible comments — truly fucked up
loved reading this. it’s beautifully written. sending hugs and love 🫶🏽
Atanda! Thank you so much, it truly means the world! My heart warmed up while reading this! 🫶🏻
I infact thought of you today even when I was off my phone, I know you exist somewhere on the planet and we share the same sun and moon and stars 🌙 I hope you are doing better today!
elunka! that is SO sweet, thank you so much! 💌🫶🏻🫂
well well well amanda i don’t know what to say. people can be assholes on here behind the mask of fake niceties. deconnect from your phone; write in a journal, read a book i’m sure you know all that but please take care of yourself. there are people here who love you <3
luciana!! thank you so much for always being here for me! Having friends that support you through the hard times also helps a lot! Thank you for being so patient and supportive, I really appreciate that a lot! You mean the world to me, and that’s why I can log off and be happy offline, because I know that there are people who will truly be there for me! I love u!!! 🥹🫶🏻🌟💌
hey always here for you, if sometimes substack is too much for you, you can always text me on insta @lucianainthewild I'll be there to respond <3
Wow, this so perfectly expressed what it's like to write online - the need to be two people, to constantly anticipate good faith misinterpretations, bad faith misinterpretations, to consider every possible perspective when, really, all I have is my own. All this has been getting to me lately. Thanks for putting it so beautifully!!
Sarah! Thank you so much for your comment, I appreciate it so much! So many people have been sharing similar experiences, and it’s definitely something sad, but I feel like we can all encourage each other to not have to deal with being two people all the time. It’s so exhausting to consider every perspective and to be aware of things 24/7! Let’s explore our own perspective (without the phone) and celebrate that because it truly is all we have! ❤️
Love this idea of all of us writers encouraging each other and to explore our own perspectives in the real world!!
sending you love and comfort!! with every passing day, a flip phone seems more alluring. i believe we’ll find the balance someday—until then, we get to pick each other’s brains here
hi there!! 🥹💌
thank you for the love, definitely sending it right back to you! 🫂🌟
and oh my GOD a flip phone definitely seems more alluring. I feel like I’m trying to find the balance for my own routine (like, turning off the phone and having less screen time, blocking people who say mean things) and it has been working!! I have hope! <3333
one thing i genuinely admire about your writing is your ability to put things in such a positively straightforward way, i always need to hear something and i seem to sometimes stumble upon one of your posts that says exactly what i needed! funnily enough, i've been writing about a similar topic too, and i'm not even famous haha. just with social media in general, i feel like i'm not a person without the acknowledgment of other people (especially online) it's hard to put into words but i soooo get it.
anyway, remember to take breaks, real ones. take your own advice, we'll all still be here when you come back :) this stuck with me "I am nothing when I close my phone. I love existing in the nothingness." <33
Char!!! AWW!! I’m blushing, omg.
Thank you a million times! Send me your piece when it’s done, I’d love to read it! And I can’t even imagine how many times I’ve felt like I wasn’t a person without the online validation. I’ve been seeing more people, watching more movies, reading more books, understanding more perspectives, and that definitely helps a lot. Thank you again for always being so kind! 🥹🫶🏻🫂💌🌟
that's so nice, i'll tag you for sure! and yay for doing more things, going places, consuming more meaningfully, trying to do the same haha. and aw nooo thank you for always being so wonderful 💗💗
If it helps, you've inspired me (and so many others). I can (just barely) remember a time before social media and it was quieter. I get the same anxiety the more I spend online reacting, reading, comparing. Block those creepy haters.
Hi there! Knowing I’ve inspired you definitely helps. It also puts me in the right direction and it motivates me to keep doing this, no matter what, so thank you so much! I really appreciated that! You truly made my day! Sometimes I wish we could go back to these days (without social media), and I think we all share the same anxiety about these things… So awful! The block button is being used! Definitely lol! Again, thank you so much for your lovely comment!! ❤️
I actually just posted the thing you inspired, I credited you - hope that's ok ❤️
it was soooo beautiful!!! thank u thank u thank uuu for writing that!
Glëussen