Sierra V. Fedorko

It’s been nearly four years since I gave up Instagram. You want to know my breaking point? One day while flipping through Stories, someone was talking passionately about gun control and then her next slide was about growing tomatoes.

And the whiplash of gun control to tomatoes took me out.

This, of course, wasn’t an isolated experience. Tap through those Story slides and see everything from awful tragedy to swishing iced coffee in split seconds. This is not even to mention the For You page, get me out of there!

But this particular “tomato moment” was enough. I was out. A couple days later I would talk with my husband and make my final decision right there on the spot.

I was done.

I couldn’t handle Instagram anymore, and I didn’t have to.

Breaking my addiction to that social media app was not easy, but it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My attention span grew back. I read more. I worried less. My brain, my literal brain, felt rested.

My lack of popular social media apps alongside my unwillingness to spend hours mastering short form video content or trends means I’ve been growing my readership and visibility at a very slow pace. This has been a great decision for me!

Instagram is in the pit, so I’ve heard. TikTok is the thing (still) but everyone knows it’s just terrible for the brain. Short form content is everywhere and explosive but also lacks longevity and the satisfactory feeling of time well-spent. People are reverting back to physical media and doing what they can to stem the flow of social media and want less noise now more than ever.

I think I’ve been on the right track all these years and people are joining in by cutting way back. We’re just tired and tapped out. We want to create but not at the expense of our life.

And our life is the cost.

Now, yes. I finally got Substack (and I talk more about that decision here), but as with most social media trends I always take the leap when it’s past its best phase. People on Substack are bemoaning how much the platform is changing and how it feels so different than it used to be.

(I don’t doubt it.)

While Substack is still in its prime, it is also getting the social media treatment with algorithms, an influx of video content, and a sense of feeling more performative.

Blah-blah-blah. Tale as old as time right?!

All these social media apps have the right to change and make business decisions. None of us have to agree or like it, but I think rather than being mad about it you can just opt out or decide your strong boundaries and let the app go where the wind blows (ie where the money is) and not be controlled or emotionally manipulated by any of it.

For the last few months on Substack I have seen it’s a great place for my Monday emails, but I’ve also realized I don’t want to spend lots of time building on that platform with Notes and Restacks, etc. I won’t be able to handle that kind of noise in my life, and I also don’t want to fall into performance mode.

I’ve been blogging on WordPress since I was 16 years old and it has certainly changed in that time, but I love how old it feels, and I like that the algorithm is for the birds.

(Or maybe I’m just not very savvy at any type of media, and that’s very likely too, hehehee).

So, where can you find me?

Here, for sure.

I like the dinosaur age of the internet and look forward to reviving my blog a bit. But if you subscribe to Green Fables on my Substack (here) you’ll see me every Monday in your inbox with simple life reflections. You’ll also receive my novelette, Where Maryn Goes, in chapter increments every Thursday for the next five weeks.

You do not need a Substack account to receive these emails. You simply subscribe to Green Fables and you’re set.

One last thing…

I’m currently writing a new novelette which I hope to share in Spring 2026! I’ve yet to decide how I want to share this novelette, but you can bet whatever I decide will be quiet and peaceful with you in mind.

I guess I just wanted to get all these ramblings off my chest…

Thanks for listening! Keep creating. Creating is the thing. Everything else and anybody listening…well, that’s all just a bonus!

So, thank you for being here. I love that I get to store my poetry on this blog and that I get to write stories for you.

-Sierra

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