Why I Finally Shifted Focus from Socials to Owned Media

What started as a reluctance to post on TikTok (due to even my original music/sound being muted on my own videos on several occasions) turned wariness about what might be flagged on Twitter/X (apparently posting about one’s personal lived experience with somewhat of a humorous twist is too much for the platform to handle or accept), the last straw for me was when I could no longer find my full length music video up on my Instagram, as if this work of art that I was so proud to finally share publicly (and had pinned to both my main grid AND reels tabs on my page) had never existed on there in the first place. Particularly frustrating and only serving to add fuel to the fire, the realization that being a business/professional creator account did not seem to make one iota of difference in Instagram’s capacity to randomly take down any given post at any given time for any given reason without so much as a warning or a notification really hit me like a brick (almost as painful as when it’s brick outside). POOF! and just like that, GONE. Like you never posted anything. Like your digital footprint (or fingerprint) of that particular instance wasn’t real to begin with. Suddenly, the magnitude of this dawned on me — “fuck…we don’t actually own or truly have control over this shit!!” A poignant and quite aptly-put thought that REALLY crossed my mind, a flashing headline that wouldn’t stop looping through my brain, seemingly for the first time in this way somehow. All of these moments and data points of the Internet were of me, but they were not mine. Anxiety coursed through my veins as my Virgo rising went into problem-solving overdrive. There MUST BE a solution! And so I went into hermit mode (in true Dashifyze fashion) to ponder this. In fact, I marinated in it. I wanted a productive answer and I was going to get it, even and especially if I had to create one for myself.

Creators, consumers, people of the world online. We’re literally the reason socials operate and pervade daily life to the extent that they do today, and yet most of almost everything that goes through those channels is largely out of our hands. Who knows what’s fr going on behind the scenes, much less behind the curtain of those scenes besides the operators backstage (I’ve often wondered just how much employees at these companies are permitted to know and how much they’re allowed to even let on that they know to stay employed..a question for another day and another blog, probably). I honestly can’t say I do, at least not regarding the nitty gritty of why my stuff gets muted or flagged or deleted, and if I did? My “understanding” (literal and figurative) is murky at best and only goes so far. At the same time, upholding a presence and implementing these platforms as tools to promote ourselves and our work is expected regardless of whether you consider yourself a “content creator” or not. This in and of itself can already be an uphill battle (some might call it a hassle) and is not always a straightforward task, especially for artists, disruptors, trailblazers, innovators, anyone that wishes to stand out amongst the crowd (and amidst the aforementioned groups, who doesn’t). And then, on top of that, the very art we’re pushed to put out gets taken down, potentially devalued and overlooked in an overpopulated social commerce market space, while the digital social ecosystems themselves thrive, a machine constantly churning out more and more “content” at the price of our collective attention spans (and the meaningful work being produced by the people). Imagine that..oh wait, it’s happening to someone (maybe and likely you yourself) right now in real time.. but it doesn’t have to continue to happen. Taking back some semblance of control, the same hands can choose/make different channels, new channels. I’m talking about owned media.

At this point, hell yeah it’s personal (clearly). The frustration has been at a breaking point for quite some time and now, it is make or break. And I know I’m not the only one feeling it just as much as the conviction I hold that those willing to pivot and stick with taking the leap to make the shift will in fact make it. As an artist myself, as a creative human being with a uniquely distinct voice urging to be heard (we all have one somewhere inside us, even if it’s just the loud one in your head), as a person who often uses social media as an extension of whichever mediums I decide to dive into as outlets of creation, this wasn’t the first time Instagram specifically let me down. I first felt it with my more “radical” stories getting removed (think, as major as sharing politically-adjacent resources/life-saving information to as minor as displaying a cartoon character with visible breasts relevant to the subject matter of self-care, GASP! GOD FORBID ik), a mini-defeat of sorts, nbd until the removals and consequent account restrictions (albeit however temporary) start adding up. To be frank, taken in aggregate over time, this the typa shit that’ll really fuck with your mental (and did). But this?! This latest incident concerning a post of mine was nothing short of complete and total fuckery. How is it that my YouTube-approved debut music video that’s more or less wholesomely G-rated and not nearly as provocative as it could’ve been is what a platform like Instagram essentially disappeared without a second thought? Simply because they could.

After months and months of internalizing and orchestrating my own intermittent disappearances off socials that I thought were merely “digital detoxing” or taking “a hiatus,” I realized the hidden root of the problem and got to the source - I found myself craving that sense of true freedom and needing to do something about it with every fiber of my being, the kind of power and ability that a lack of third-party oversight provides. Cut out the middle man, reach my people directly. The people willing to invest in me beyond the more often than not half-hearted façade of an inactive social media follow that is. For the longest time, I was stuck on how to do this, wondering if and how I myself alone could do it. What was the best and most effective way? Where do I start? How do I do it properly and efficiently? Basically, a combination of overthinking and imposter syndrome that social media undoubtedly contributed to. An overwhelmed and burnt out part of me thought I didn’t have the energy or the skills necessary to build my own site from scratch, until it hit me that I could just,, do it. Figure it out as I go and see what happens. And here I am, doing it on my own terms, at my own pace, SUSTAINABLY, leaning into the ~feeling~ of whatever I decide to use this site for with an approach that doesn’t fry my brain in the process (which too much time spent on social media was also starting to do, unfortunately). In this format, the sky is truly NO LIMIT.

My current efforts are going towards building this blog that functions twofold as a newsletter that goes straight to your inbox. Because that’s where I’m tryna reach you, really reach you. If you’re anything like me (and here’s to assuming you are if you’re reading this), it’s highly probable that you too believe that one’s email is a sacred thing, more sacred than, dare I say, one’s social media profile(s). And even (and especially if tbh) you’re the opposite (I’m looking at you, 10,000+ unread in the inbox havers! & no judgment btw, maybe a lil bit hehe, but at some point or other we’ve all been there omg so much info not enough time rip), with so many variables hanging in the balance these days (will TikTok stay, will it go? that is apparently The Question), socials feel more temporary than ever. Whoever you are and wherever we might’ve encountered one another, if you follow me on any platform, I wanna ensure that I always have a way to directly contact and meaningfully connect with you without having to rely on an outside source to do so. Hence, building a list of emails! It all seems so obvious now that I’ve taken the time to sit with this shift, but nonetheless I’ve arrived to this conclusion in the timing I was meant to. I’ve heard and read a few times from a few various sources that having around a thousand-ish dedicated email subscribers whose inboxes your updates and offers are arriving to monthly is worth more than double that number (or more, depending) on a social platform. Food for thought + your sign for subscription to my blog newsletter, Fyzed!

So yes, welcome to my website, glad to have you here in Da Fyze-verse, thanks for visiting (I most def encourage you to stick around, hang, check out the cool stuff on here so far)…and don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe xoxo (anything is only as cringe as we let it be; while raging against The Machine it becomes necessary to be THEE Machine)! In the meantime, I’ll still unapologetically self-promote (as one does, iykyk) for the sake of it and also because I genuinely value authentic connection while I continue to refine how I show up as genuinely and authentically as I can, whether that be in the digital realm or irl. Wherever that may take place and wherever we go individually/societally, you can find me @dashifyze on pretty much everything (for now….), but if all else fails pls pls always feel free to email me (I actually prefer this to a DM!) & know that dashifyze.com is here as well <3

Much love,

Dashifyze aka DFyze aka Fyze1 aka dfyze@dashifyze.com :-))

P.S. A huge thank you and hella appreciation from the bottom of my heart to all of y’all who’ve subscribed so far (shoutout to the realest ones)! As an independent artist and creator, your support means the world and often far more than you may know!!