Results from a three-month social media break

Life without the feed: lessons for music marketing

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Results from a three-month social media break

Without socials, some artists and their music vanished from view.

Why it matters

Social media feels like oxygen for the music industry. Artists, managers, and fans all rely on platforms to connect. But what happens if you step outside that ecosystem?

During a three-month sabbatical in Asia with my family, I decided to stay off Instagram and TikTok. It wasn’t a professional experiment; it was a personal choice to enjoy the trip more. But I was curious how it would shape me as a music consumer. I did explore local platforms like WeChat and RedNote, so this wasn’t a complete detox.

The results highlight how much discovery and connection run through social media and what happens when those channels disappear.

Generated with GPT-4o using the prompt ‘a smartphone in a fruit and vegetable basket’.

How it works

Here’s what I noticed while travelling without the leading Western platforms:

• Phantom habit: Even with the apps blocked, I found myself grabbing my phone dozens of times a day. My screen time for other apps, such as Strava, Reddit, and news outlets, increased. The behaviour shifted, but the reflex stayed.

• Missed DMs: Direct messages are the glue for many conversations in the creative industry. When working with artists or other creatives, we can’t assume they’ll stick to “professional” channels like email. I missed updates, collaborations, and conversations that would have lived in my inbox if they’d been business contacts.

• Artists who vanished: Some artists only exist on social media. Without their posts, they disappeared from my radar. I realised I don’t actually play their music. My interaction with them lives almost entirely on social media.

• Missed music moments: Album releases, tour announcements, and festival line-ups passed me by. It was frustrating, because sending an email is such a simple alternative when you already have my address. Yet most marketers and artists still rely solely on their feed to get the word out.

• Discovery limits: Without socials, I turned to Spotify and Shazam. Shazam was brilliant for identifying songs while travelling. Spotify, on the other hand, kept nudging me in one algorithmic direction. It worked technically, but I missed the cultural depth and context that social media sometimes adds.

• Cultural lock-in: In Thailand and other places, Facebook is still unavoidable. I had to unblock it to take part in certain activities.

• Easy exit: Despite years of daily use, quitting social media was easier than expected. That says something about how much, or how little, real value the feed provides once you step away from it.

Yes, but…

For anyone working in the music industry, a total break isn’t realistic.

Social media isn’t just where fans hang out; it's also where the industry connects, networks, and gets inspired. Ignoring that means missing both audiences and peers.

The challenge isn’t to quit, but to use these platforms with intent.

Take action now

A complete detox might not be the move. But artists can scale down their own consumption to protect focus and diversify beyond big-tech feeds. Add channels that don’t vanish overnight, like an email newsletter.

Remember: Fans also live outside social media. Make sure to reach them there too.

Your thoughts

Further reading

• We’re addicted to our phones. This is my experiment to break free. (Calm & Fluffy)

• ‘I didn’t realise how badly it affected me until I was off it’: what it’s like to have a social media detox (The Guardian)

• Battling social media addiction while working in music (The Fanbase Builder)

• Reset algorithms to break free from content bubbles (The Fanbase Builder)

• Why artists should select their platforms with care (The Fanbase Builder)

• What a perfect artist newsletter should look like (The Fanbase Builder)