Taylor Swift disabled Instagram comments 10 years ago and never looked back. Should you?

USA Today

2 days ago

Taylor Swift is bejeweled — with gems of "energy," that is.
On the Aug. 13 episode of the Kelce brothers' "New Heights" podcast, Swift gave some advice to listeners, saying they should consider their attention to be a precious commodity and not place a lot of importance on interactions that don't serve their well-being.
"You should think of your energy as if it's expensive, as if it's a luxury item," Swift said. "Not everyone can afford it. Not everyone has invested in you in order to be able to have the capital for you to care about this. What you spend your energy on, that's the day."
Protecting her diamonds of energy is a reason why she disabled Instagram comments about 10 years ago — and doesn't "miss" being online.
"I do detach from the internet in a huge way," she said during the episode, in which she announced her 12th studio album "The Life of a Showgirl" set to release Oct. 3. While her high-profile relationship and career are all over headlines and social media, Swift said she's reached a point of balance and grown a tough skin: "I've been able to mediate a really healthy relationship with not seeing a whole lot."
So rather than miss out on what could be a good day to "obsession" over one person calling you "mid" in the comments, the pop star said we should tune it all out.
"We're in the era of distraction," says digital wellness expert Mark Ostach. "Taylor is modeling a great digital wellness practice ... realizing your purpose in life doesn't come from the impressions you get online. Your identity and worth isn't rooted in how many followers you have."
Is it time to take Taylor's advice? Here's how to tell if you need to take a step back from social media — and how to do it.
Protecting 'diamonds' of energy
Swift shared sage advice for when to know it's time to step away from digital discourse.
"If your algorithm is giving you either criticisms of yourself or adulation or praise you're creating an ecosystem in which you're the center piece of the table," she said. "I just don't think that's healthy."
Many of us struggle from this "post-traumatic scroll disorder," Ostach says. The endless digital diet we consume overwhelms us with fear or anxiety from the second we wake up. As a first step to disrupt this cycle, Ostach recommends we turn off comments, keep our phones out of site, block apps or set time constraints for social media.
"When we're customizing our mood based on the moment we're scrolling, we're susceptible to insecurities, self-esteem issues or lacking motivation," he says.
Swift has been vocal about her struggle balancing mental health with her public persona. On the podcast, she said "The Life of a Showgirl" will peel back the curtain on how she really felt while performing the epic 149-show Eras Tour before sold-out crowds. Swift has learned to separate the noise from the music. Anything online that doesn't serve her is "not my business."
These boundaries fuel Swift's creativity, Ostach says.
"When you are looking to modify behavior, be it smoking or scrolling, you need to replace it with something," Ostach says. In the way that Taylor puts pen to paper or attends Chiefs' games with friends, we should find intentional actions outside the ecosystem of comparison, Ostach says.
"Those will rejuvante your mind body and spirit," he says. "What you bring into the world is the light of what you've done in your dark space (offline)."
While not all of us are pop stars with microscopic attention on our lives, it's easy for anyone to fall into favoring social media over real relationships. If people in your life complain you're too online, or your focus on being loved online outshines real connection, that's a sign to step away, Ostach says.
To get find genuine connection, he suggests we ask "how are you"? and actually pause for a response. Or swap DMing posts to friends for a walk together outside. Smell, hear and feel the nature around you in that moment.
Swift said she prioritizes connections with boyfriend Travis Kelce and their hobbies, from her obsession with sourdough creations to his love for wild otters. Their own intimacy defines the relationship, not the projections online.
"Can you imagine if we just talked about what people said about our relationship?" she said on the podcast. "If we talked about that, that would be all we talked about because there's so much chatter. We're busy having an actual relationship."