All of the introverted artists appear to be gathering on Threads, including me.
I think I may have found the first positive social media platform. At least, that’s the impression I got from my first day using Threads.
I’ve been in the process of slowly becoming more engaged on social media. It’s daunting to me because I’ve always been a very introverted person. The internet is a horrifying place to me. Everywhere I look there’s a riot in the comments section. No space feels safe, and I was paranoid for a long time that the moment I had anything to share or say, “the world” would turn toward me and digitally strike me down, because people are just that plain reactive in this day and age.
As I began to tiptoe my way into starting my small business throughout 2023, I was relieved to discover that nobody really cared about what I was up to. I could post an image on Instagram and not be flooded with negativity, like I had so feared. Crickets became comforting to me. But for some reason, it was still fairly difficult for me to feel comfortable posting anything regularly, even if I knew nobody was watching.
I was also struggling with balancing my personal self and my “business” self. Is it appropriate to share something I think is funny, even if it doesn’t perfectly align with my “brand”? Am I cordial and polite, or do I allow people to learn who I really am, funky quirks and all? What is the danger in being that vulnerable in a space open to the entire world?
As I tried to figure out where I would fall on that spectrum between being completely myself and being professional, I focused on simply engaging with others in a more authentic way. I tried to share my immediate thoughts, instead of just scrolling quietly past. At first it felt a bit strange and much like the discussion board assignments I’d been required to complete in college. “Surely I can think of something nice to say,” I thought to myself. I didn’t want to seem fake to others, but I also didn’t want to force myself to say something if it didn’t feel natural. So, I just began blurting out my genuinely positive knee-jerk reactions to posts I saw online.
“Wow, that was satisfying to watch.”
“That’s gorgeous. I love the retro aesthetic.”
“I love how this was made with upcycled materials.”
If I agreed with something another person said, instead of thinking, “Well, they said it once. Do I really need to say it again?” I decided to reach out in a comment to let them know I agreed and thanked them for taking the time to share their thoughts.
Lastly, I pushed myself to just share an image if I thought it was cool, and simply explained why in the description of the post. At this point I had accumulated a few years of adventures and meaningful life experience that I’d been dying to share, but I had “nothing” to show for it because I was so unsure of how to present myself. I had been silent for so long that it felt like I’d forgotten how to speak at all.
Meanwhile, I’d seen little blurbs advertising Threads here and there on my Instagram feed and initially thought nothing of it, especially when I was prompted to download the Threads app rather than see the ongoing conversation in the app I was already on. However, after several days of seeing that little box pop up with no clue of what the platform was actually about, I finally cracked and my curiosity led me to download it after all.
What I saw first on my feed was a plea for artists to share images of their work with the hopes of connecting with one another.
When I ventured further into the comments, I noticed that most responses were overwhelmingly positive. I thought I’d just stumbled onto a nicer account by accident, maybe some New Age-y wellness community.
As I continued to scroll I saw that this supportive behavior was to be found in the majority of conversations I read. Next came a super fucked-up thought, which was, “Why is this place so positive? What’s going on here?” Then I realized how horrible it was that a welcoming space seemed jarring to me because I was so used to seeing the hate that is typically spread on other social media platforms. I was so used to seeing people attack each other with varying degrees of provocation that it was bizarre to me to see people begin to consistently lift each other up instead.
I discovered I wasn’t alone in feeling this way as others began to comment on how strange this space was.
“For some reason it feels easier to post here than it does on Instagram. Maybe it’s the lack of content creation removing the pressure?”
“I feel like it’s easier to be myself here. There’s enough room for us all to share.”
“Everyone here is so supportive. It feels great to finally connect with a like-minded community.”
I wonder if this positive atmosphere is due to the newness of the platform. It appears as though Threads was released in the summer of 2023, but I have a feeling that there is still plenty of room for growth as people slowly discover what the app is all about.
Today I spent my idle minutes between tasks casually testing out Threads: scrolling my feed, diving into the comments, and replying when I felt like it. I found over the course of a day that it was so much easier to just be myself.
I’m feeling the effect of it now as I write this, mostly unedited and straight from the heart. I’m so tired of being afraid to speak. I’d love to know what it feels like to be uncensored by default, to feel comfortable with taking up space.
I have a feeling that if I keep up with what I’m doing, I’ll discover what my voice sounds like, and that’s a very exciting prospect for me. The interactions I’ve had on Thread have been affirming so far and have given me the courage to keep on pushing. So for now, I’m not afraid to ask questions, to reach out, and to answer when I feel the urge to.
My current questions for those of you reading this on Medium right now are:
- Are you an introverted or extroverted person? Or is it more complicated than that for you?
- If you are introverted and also a writer, how do you balance recharging your batteries with the need to interact with and relate to your audience?
- Do you struggle with expressing yourself authentically versus how you think other people “should” see you? How do you navigate that?
As always, I appreciate you taking the time to read and hope you have a blessed day. Thank you!
