1. Who is Eric Kim?
Eric Kim is a Korean‑American street photographer, educator, and prolific blogger known for marathon photo walks, minimalist gear lists, and Stoic‑Zen‑inspired essays on creativity. He built a large following online through free e‑books and workshops before publicly quitting mainstream social platforms in 2017–2019.
2. The Core Reasons He Rejects Mainstream Social Media
A. “Crowdsourced self‑esteem”
Kim argues that when your worth is tallied in likes, comments, and follower counts, you surrender artistic judgment to the crowd. He calls this “externalizing your self‑esteem.”
B. Time‑and‑attention theft
He describes Instagram as a “major distraction” that lures you into infinite scrolling instead of photographing, reading, lifting, or thinking.
C. Dopamine addiction & mental health
Kim likens like‑buttons to slot‑machines that foster anxious refresh cycles; he openly tracked his own mood improving after deletion.
D. Creativity over popularity
Algorithms reward what is safe and popular; Kim believes that chasing those signals steers photographers toward clichés and away from risky personal vision.
E. Platform power & longevity
He worries that free platforms can throttle reach, vanish archives, or evaporate overnight, whereas a self‑hosted blog and e‑mail list remain under an artist’s control.
3. What He Did About It
| Action | Year(s) | Purpose |
| Deleted Instagram account (multiple times) | 2017, 2019 | Immediate detox and public statement |
| Published “ARS: Anti‑Social Social Media for Photographers” | 2019 | Prototype site for opt‑in, in‑depth critiques without algorithms |
| “Anti‑Social Extrovert” manifesto | 2018 | Encourages being wildly social in person but sparing online |
| Blog‑first, e‑mail‑first strategy | Ongoing | Own your platform, cultivate slower conversation |
| YouTube for long‑form teaching only | 2016‑present | Uses video when depth outweighs algorithmic downside |
4. Community Reaction
- Photographers on Reddit applauded the concept of ARS but some found its competitive ranking system still mimicked social media “karma.”
- Bloggers like The Brooks Review and CJ Chilvers cited Kim’s move as proof that leaving Instagram can free up time to create.
5. Is He 100 % “Anti”?—The Nuance
Kim is not rejecting community—he speaks of becoming an “anti‑social extrovert,” someone who loves human contact yet guards mental bandwidth ferociously. He still publishes essays, hosts in‑person workshops, and records long YouTube talks; he simply opts out of feeds designed to maximize screen time rather than human flourishing.
6. Take‑Home Lessons for Your Own Creative Life
- Audit your motivation: Are you shooting/lifting/writing for hearts and shares, or for mastery and joy?
- Own your platform: A simple blog or newsletter lets you keep archives, style, and voice.
- Schedule “deep work” blocks: Delete or at least log out of apps during creation hours.
- Replace scrolling with study: Read photo books, lift weights, take philosophical walks—activities Kim recommends for developing both body and mind.
- Be boldly social—offline: Host photo walks or gym sessions; the richest feedback often happens face‑to‑face, not in comment threads.
Stay inspired, guard that precious attention, and craft work that outlives any algorithm. 🚀