Enshittification
Let’s get one thing out of the way early doors – I’ve never liked Mark Zuckerburg, those dead eyes, that creepy haircut. He’s got the air of a morally bankrupt vampire.
Before Facebook was a trillion-dollar advertising machine, it started life as a creepy little project called Facemash that allowed Zuckerburg and his mates to rate the attractiveness of Harvard students. No consent. No ethics. Women were disproportionately objectified and targeted.
Facebook (now Meta) was never about connection. It was about attention. And that attention, once captured, was monetised. Ruthlessly.
Enshittification:
The predictable process by which digital platforms degrade the user experience over time in pursuit of a never ending increase in profits.
Instagram and Facebook don’t optimise for:
Your wellbeing
Your clarity
Your long-term goals
They optimise for:
Time spent scrolling
Emotional reactivity
Compulsion
The algorithms don’t ask, “Is this good for you?”
They ask, “How can I keep you glued to this phone for as long as fucking possible?”
You open Instagram with good intentions. A quick scroll. Maybe a bit of fitness motivation. Some healthy recipes. Ten minutes max.
Forty minutes later:
Your nervous system is on high alert
You’ve seen multiple conflicting opinions on what you should eat for breakfast tomorrow
Someone your age has abs, a business, a podcast, and a holiday home
You feel an odd, negative sensation
Nothing bad happened. But something bad did happen. You feel uneasy. A low-level sense that you’re behind. That you’re missing something. That you should be doing more. That feeling isn’t accidental.
Making you feel inadequate is the product.
How information overload is killing our consistency...
One post says carbs are evil.
The next says carbs are essential.
One coach says you should be fasting.
Another says you should eat a healthy breakfast to start the day.
None of these people know you.
Results require consistency. Consistency requires simplicity. Repetition. Maybe even boredom.
Instagram sells novelty. Your results require the opposite.
Why email and long-form content are different
Email doesn’t chase you. It waits.
You choose when to open it.
You choose when to read it.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
No algorithm decides what you can and can’t see. You just get a direct line to the content that you want.
Long reads and blogs retrain your attention span.
They ask you to sit still.
To follow a thought to its conclusion.
To engage, not react.
Over time, this undoes the dopamine hijacking that short-form content thrives on. You stop needing constant stimulation just to feel normal.
So why does this matter for you and your health?
Because health isn’t built in viral clips. It’s built in:
Daily habits
Repeated behaviours
Boring, well planned consistency
And this is where online coaching works its magic.
It’s not flashy. It is consistent and effective.
Daily check-ins with yourself and your coach build momentum.
An online coach like myself doesn’t bombard you with information. I filter it.
You don’t need 50 opinions. You need:
One clear plan
One set of priorities
Someone to check your progress and adapt the plan accordingly
Someone to keep you accountable when motivation dips
You don’t need more content. You need your health and fitness to be gently guided in the right direction while you prioritise work, kids, finances and the dog.
Choosing email over social media is a quiet rebellion against:
Attention extraction
Artificial urgency
Performative fitness
Endless comparison
I’m not anti-technology. I’m anti-enshittification. And yeah, I’ve never liked Mark Zuckerberg.
The apps you use should add maximum value to your life.
Until Instagram and Facebook stop being engineered to keep you distracted, dissatisfied, and doubting yourself, you won’t find me building my business there.
You’ll find me here. In your inbox. And on Substack...
If you want:
Clarity instead of chaos
Consistency instead of confusion
An experienced Coach who helps you cut through the noise
Less Noise. Less Stress. Better Results
Then you know where to find me.
