You nailed it re: the pressure to prove legitimacy. I felt that when I left Instagram for sure — sort of like, but how will people know I'm "worth" paying attention to if they can't see the social proof of 14k+ followers right away? (Admitting this makes me groan in embarrassment, and also have compassion for myself and for all of us who are caught in these systems!)
You nailed it re: the pressure to prove legitimacy. I felt that when I left Instagram for sure — sort of like, but how will people know I'm "worth" paying attention to if they can't see the social proof of 14k+ followers right away? (Admitting this makes me groan in embarrassment, and also have compassion for myself and for all of us who are caught in these systems!)