We're saying goodbye to Instagram and WhatsApp.
What was once a fun and simple way to share our making processes and engage with customers became a bloated and complex system we have been programmed as a small business to view as essential. A necessary evil. I stopped seeing posts from accounts I follow and ended up, like many people, drawn into time wasting reels.
I began exploring alternatives a good while ago, looking for something like the early days of Instagram with just image feeds, but surmised better the devil you know and just minimised our posting, remaining available to receive messages from customers.
I never liked WhatsApp. I understand where it came from when cross network texts costed money and group messaging didn't really exist. But now I feel like it only exists now because we're all trapped in various group chats while Meta works on it becoming the default communication tool between us and businesses.
I left Facebook many years ago mainly due to it feeling dated and clunky but also because i was fed up of being prompted to "log in with Facebook" elsewhere.
I was never an avid user of twitter as it was too fast paced for what I did but deleted my account as soon as Elon Musk bought it as it was clear he was becoming the world's next supervillain.
I'm no radical anti capitalist, but as a small business working sustainably in a natural material, embracing a slower approach, my values were never very aligned with Meta and its growth at all costs mentality. Recent policy changes from Mark Zuckerberg have been the last straw. The abortion of diversity, equity and inclusion targets, the tolerance of misinformation, the acceptance of hate speech, and general swing to the right to appease Donald Trump in the lead up to is presidency are things I can no longer be part of just because it's difficult to leave.
So from the start of the Trump presidency we will not use any Meta platform. People like Zuckerberg and Musk gained their power and influence from us using their product and we the people can cut it off, this is my bit. Will it hurt me more than them? Definitely in the short term, but I'm confident Meta isn't going to be the home of my customer base and peers in the long run.
We'll be building our social media presence from scratch on Bluesky @flockdublin.bsky.social, and awaiting their new photo first app Flashes, maybe see you there! Otherwise, you can contact us via email or normal text - or write us a letter!
Jamie