In December of 2024 I logged out of social media, and don’t have any plans on returning. While the decision is cut and dry, it doesn’t account for the host of feelings that come with the territory. Besides the presence of self doubt, the most substantial enemy of building things elsewhere has to do with FOMO. Specifically, FOMO surrounding not building a social media audience, not having adequate internet numbers, seeing your peers gain a massive subscriber count, and feeling like no one is consuming your work.

Audience FOMO is so prevalent because it represents the gap that remains to be filled by any other tool or medium. Audience FOMO is hard to quell because it’s a feeling rooted in a stark understating of our current and real lived experience. Audience FOMO is what happens when we realize there aren’t an abundance of platforms that that enable their users to become discovered and build an audience of a meaningful size.

As of the time of writing this article an easy (or even realistic) solution for audience building without adopting a questionable algorithm (to my knowledge) remains to be found. Fortunately, we can, at any moment change how we perceive the situation. It is not the case that all is lost for artists, leaders, and makers who do not use social media. In times of doubt we need only confront our Audience FOMO, and find our way back to our dimly lit path. The answer to this question might be elusive, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep showing up, sharing our work, and searching for a solution.