Social Media Is Killing Your Creativity

Heads up–This is a longer one, but worth reading.

“I find myself getting totally absorbed in the comparison game when I’m on social media. I often wonder why my content doesn’t perform as well as other people’s content and I go down this rabbit hole of thinking I’m no good at what I do. What do you do to not let it get to your head?”

If you’ve been asking yourself these questions (maybe more often than you’d like to admit), you’re not alone.

Social media has quietly shifted from being a tool to share your work to being a scoreboard for validation.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the numbers—the likes, comments, shares, retweets—and let them dictate how you feel about the content you create.

But here’s the truth: focusing too much on the performance of your content is a crutch that can actually stifle your creativity and drain your passion.

Remember when you first started creating content?

Whether it was shooting your first video, editing for hours, or getting lost in the creative process, you weren’t thinking about likes or shares–You were driven by passion, curiosity, and a love for what you do.

But somewhere along the way, social media trained us to chase validation from others, and our creative process started to revolve around performance metrics.

Social media’s promise is alluring: instant feedback, the potential for virality, and that sweet dopamine hit when your notifications start blowing up.

But that same system creates pressure.

Pressure to outdo yourself.

Pressure to constantly top your last post.

And when that engagement doesn’t come fast enough?

It feels like a failure.

And that’s where the problem lies: we’ve become obsessed with immediate validation.

The Performance Trap

Here’s how the performance trap works.

You post something you’ve poured your heart into.

You believe it’s your best work, and maybe it is.

Then…crickets.

The engagement isn’t what you expected.

Maybe it’s worse than your last post.

Suddenly, you start questioning everything.

Was the content good enough?

Did I post at the wrong time?

Should I have tried a different hook?

You fall down a rabbit hole of self-doubt.

Now, instead of moving forward, you’re stuck—chasing numbers, tweaking for the algorithm, and overanalyzing every piece of content like you’re playing a game you never signed up for.

Don’t get me wrong, metrics are useful.

But when you’re obsessed with them, they become more than just numbers—they become your measure of worth.

And for creative entrepreneurs, that’s dangerous.

The irony is, the most impactful content—the stuff that resonates deeply with people—often doesn’t hit immediately.

Sometimes it takes time to gain traction.

The viral videos and posts you see?

Many of them started out quietly, only to explode weeks, months, or even years later.

So why are we so focused on instant gratification?

Social Media’s Illusion of Success

Social media platforms thrive on giving you just enough interaction to keep you hooked, while always dangling that “viral” carrot in front of you.

The danger is in thinking that if your content doesn’t blow up right away, it wasn’t worth creating in the first place.

But that’s the lie.

Here’s the truth: the value of your work isn’t tied to its immediate reception.

Great content doesn’t always follow the rapid rise-and-fall cycle that social media pushes.

You might create a video today that resonates deeply with someone a year from now.

Does that make it less valuable?

Absolutely not.

Think about some of the greatest creators you admire.

Their success wasn’t built on one viral post.

It was built on consistency.

They kept showing up, putting their work out there, refining their craft, and trusting the process—even when the numbers weren’t there to prove it.

The Power of Consistency and Authenticity

Here’s where things get real: consistent, authentic content is more important than performance.

Let’s say you post a piece of content that doesn’t do as well as you had hoped it would.

Maybe it gets a fraction of the likes or shares you expected.

But then you post again.

And again.

You stay true to your voice, your style, your passion.

You keep refining your craft, learning, improving.

Guess what happens?

The right people—your people—start paying attention.

It might not be an overnight explosion, but it’s real, it’s sustainable, and it’s built on a solid foundation of authentic creativity.

And let’s talk about authenticity for a second.

Social media is overflowing with content that’s optimized for algorithms, polished to perfection, and strategically crafted to get clicks.

But you know what’s starting to stand out more and more?

Raw, real, unfiltered content.

Audiences are craving authenticity.

They want to see who you really are, not just the version of you that’s trying to play the algorithm game.

Your audience—whether they know it yet or not—is looking for something deeper than perfectly optimized content.

They want to connect with you.

The real you.

Shift Your Focus

So, how do you break out of the performance trap and get back to creating meaningful content?

1. Stop chasing instant validation. Likes and comments are nice, but they shouldn’t define the value of your work. Create for the long game.

2. Be consistent. Don’t let one underperforming post derail you. Keep showing up. You never know which post will be the one that resonates or gains traction later on.

3. Prioritize authenticity over perfection. People connect with real, raw, and imperfect content. Let your audience see the real you, not just the polished version you think they want.

4. Focus on creating for your audience, not the algorithm. When you shift your mindset from “What will perform well?” to “What will bring value to my audience?” everything changes.

The Long Game

Here’s the truth: social media is a tool, but it’s not the finish line.

It’s a vehicle for sharing your work with the world, but it’s not the sole judge of its value.

The real magic happens when you let go of the need for immediate validation and focus on the consistent, authentic creation of content that speaks to your passions and connects with your audience.

Trust the process.

Stay true to yourself.

And remember: the impact of your work might not be immediate, but that doesn’t make it any less important.

Keep creating.

Keep posting.

And most importantly, keep going.

You got this 👊🏼

-Landon