Lately, I’ve been asking myself a hard question: is social media quietly draining the very creativity it claims to celebrate? It feels strange to even put that into words because so much of my work, and even my identity as a writer, has been shaped by the online world. I’ve found clients through Instagram, inspiration on TikTok, and community on platforms that make the internet feel a little less lonely. But if I’m honest, the same apps that once felt like doorways to possibility now sometimes feel like walls closing in on my imagination.
Creativity used to feel spacious. I’d sit with a notebook, scribble down messy thoughts, and let them bloom into something more. There wasn’t an audience watching. There weren’t metrics waiting to measure whether what I made was “good enough.” But social media has rewired that process. Now, before I even put pen to paper, I catch myself thinking about whether an idea is “shareable,” “timely,” or “aesthetic.” I wonder if the caption would perform, if the algorithm would even bother showing it to people, if my little piece of creativity would be buried before it had a chance to be seen. And just like that, the spark gets smothered.
The thing about social media is that it rewards consistency and quantity over depth. We’re encouraged to churn, not to create. To recycle trends instead of daring to experiment. To keep up rather than to pause and wander. And as a result, the space in our minds that used to welcome curiosity and play is constantly interrupted by notifications and comparison. Even our rest is never truly rest because somewhere, someone else is creating and posting, and we feel like we’re falling behind.
But here’s the truth I’m trying to hold onto: creativity is not a race. It’s not about who posts the fastest or racks up the most likes. Real creativity takes silence, boredom, daydreaming, and slow afternoons where ideas can actually breathe. Social media can show us endless content, but it can’t give us the quiet we need to make something of our own. That has to come from us—stepping away, unplugging, and remembering that our best ideas often arrive when no one is watching.
So, is social media ruining our creativity? I think it can—if we let it. But it doesn’t have to. We have the choice to use it as a tool instead of letting it use us. To share when it feels real, and retreat when we need to refill. Creativity belongs to us first, not the algorithm. And maybe the bravest thing we can do in this hyperconnected world is to protect it like the fragile, powerful thing it is.
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