How Substack, Instagram, and the TikTok Ban Inspired Me to Take Control of My Own Content: Introducing The Poetess Aesthetic

Lately, I’ve been feeling completely overwhelmed with social media—not just because of the algorithm or the pressure to create content, but because these platforms don’t feel like mine. Probably because they aren’t mine. They aren’t my vision and because of that the content I post doesn’t feel like it's from the heart and with a ting of fear . No matter how much time and effort I pour into them, they can disappear overnight. If we’ve learned anything from the TikTok ban, it’s that these platforms are temporary, no matter how much we like to think they’re not. I mean, y’all don’t remember Vine?

If Instagram were to shut down tomorrow, then what? If they decide to snatch my content, disable my account, or bury my posts in the algorithm, what can I really do?

I want something that feels like my own. A space where I don’t feel pressured to create just to satisfy the algorithm gods. I want to create freely, without the weight of trying to appease a platform that doesn’t care about me. And then I thought—well, damn. What’s actually stopping me?

Then I remember the days of blogs. When Tumblr and MySpace were thriving. When we were fearless, posting whatever cute, lame, overly aesthetic things we wanted—because it felt good. Even if it was curated, color-coded, or theme-heavy, you could still feel the personality behind it.That’s the internet I fell in love with . Little tumblr girly secretly scrolling for porn and falling in love with all pop rock girls on my feed . Adding my moody playlist and not caring that I only had 2o followers. LOL

Nowadays (HaHa jokes,but not really) “aesthetics” are hated on and I am an aesthetics girly . Unfiltered photos just don't sit well with me ! 😂 I love curated content. I love cute outfits, niche aesthetics, and core-themed anything. Instagram used to be that, but now it’s being overshadowed by fake anti-aesthetic trends and constant discourse.Im not blind to the worlds problems but social media used to be my escape from all the turmoil , the trauma of my childhood and not unfortunately that has been taken away from me and it makes me sad . Honestly, I feel unwanted on most platforms. And you know what? It is what it is, because I no longer care about these platforms.

Instagram is dead to me . I never liked Tik Tok 😂. I hate making YouTube videos . What can your girl do to bring her vision to life ! I absolutely love creating content . I do . But I also hate rules ,restrictions and trends . Some trends are fun ,but others idk.

I much prefer Pinterest, even Tumblr. At least there, I can scroll for hours through art and poetry without being bombarded by ads and complaints. I want to be the queen of escapism. And whether that’s healthy or not, this is my space—my true expression. No pressure, all aesthetic, all me.

I’m doing “influencing” my way, in a way that feels authentic to me. I’m not forcing myself to create trendy, eye-catching videos. I can just be. And most importantly, it’s mine.

Of course, I still have to play the game, so I’ll share content strategically on certain platforms. But mostly, this space will be where my work lives. I can’t wait to grow this community with you all. Hope you love it here. Stay tuned for more. 🖤