![]() And lots of people identify with the term webtrovert-I posted about it on my blog and got such a response from people who feel exactly the same. So you’re at home on your computer talking to those people, so you have the physical presence of being alone but you have the social interaction of speaking to someone (or lots of people) digitally. ST: My idea of a webtrovert-which I thought I’d totally invented and then when I Googled it, it kind of existed but nobody had written anything good about it, so I’m still claiming it-is that there’s something in between introverts and extroverts, where you need to socialize with other people and you can fill up from that, but only if it’s done while you’re technically alone. SC: Can you explain your concept of “webtroverts” and why they are thriving on Instagram? Something about the way the Instagram platform works is kind of a more cozy, supportive, and nurturing environment. You lose control of communication on Twitter at quite an early stage. I can see why people find it intimidating. Even when people have occasionally disagreed with something I’ve posted it’s been really mild and relatively friendly, whereas on Twitter it’s a bit like the gloves are off. I’ve never had anyone trolling me, never had anyone being outright aggressive toward me. I’ve literally had none of that on Instagram, ever. You know that on Twitter the wolves are at the door all the time, and they’re only a hashtag or a tweet away from finding you. It is a lot about how you use it, and I have built myself a very nice Twitter bubble that feels an awful lot like my Instagram bubble, and in some respects is more supportive, and in other respects is a little bit more fragile. How would you compare the community on Twitter to the one on Instagram? It’s easy when you’re young to get sucked into creating a really toxic feed for yourself. There is a responsibility on everyone to be mindful of who they follow. We can’t define the platforms by the handful of users who use it stupidly, because many people on Instagram or Twitter or anywhere else are using it perfectly nicely, responsibly and positively. SC: So you’re saying it’s more about how you use it than the platform itself? If you’re able to share the whole picture, then people can see that they’re the same as you and then a friendship can be struck up. If you just share how brilliant your life is all the time, most of us don’t really relate to that, because even if our lives are brilliant, it never feels that way from the inside. ST: Yeah, and it’s about putting out the bad as well as the good, I think it’s being able to talk about when you’ve messed up or when you’re really bored of parenting, or the thoughts that you’re having at 3 a.m., or whatever that is, because it’s those moments of vulnerability that people recognize in themselves, more than the positivity. ![]() SC: It sounds like being authentically yourself and putting quite a lot of yourself out there helps you to find that authentic community and those “right people” quite naturally. Even since starting my podcast I’ve noticed those connections have become a lot stronger, and the people it’s not right for have dropped off it refines all the time, and it just gets better and better at just being those right people. ![]() I feel like the community that I’ve managed to build around me happened because I’ve been as open and authentic as I can be, which has meant that other people who are the same-who struggle with the same things-recognize that and know that it’s safe for them to be there. Sara Tasker: Instagram is the friendliest place I’ve come across online. Sophie Caldecott: You seem to have a knack for attracting a really lovely crowd of people to everything you do online-what’s your secret?
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