Hi, I’m Jerry Banfield. If you’ve stumbled across this post and don’t know me, I used to live my life entirely online. For more than a decade I worked as a full-time content creator: YouTuber, Facebook Gaming partner, top-10 Udemy instructor, cryptocurrency educator, musician, podcaster — you name it, I probably did it. Altogether, my work online reached more than a billion impressions, with tens of millions of views on YouTube and Facebook alone.
On paper, I was “famous on the internet.” In reality, I was exhausted, unstable, and deeply unfulfilled.
The Illusion of Online Fame
Going viral gave me quick hits of excitement, but it came with an unrelenting pressure to chase numbers. Algorithms rewarded hype, scams, and shallow entertainment. The moment I tried to create something honest and empowering, the views disappeared.
I saw the same thing everywhere — in gaming, in crypto, in online teaching. People who cheated, manipulated, or told half-truths got rewarded. Those who tried to bring integrity often got ignored. For years, I played along. I said what I thought would sell. My “success” never felt like enough because it was built on sand.
Eventually, I had to admit to myself: being a content creator wasn’t just draining my energy, it was draining my integrity.
Why I Walked Away
The internet is designed to keep you distracted, drained, and dependent. I lived that cycle until I couldn’t anymore. I deleted everything:
- A Facebook page with 1.9 million followers
- Fifteen YouTube channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers
- Multiple monetized streams of income that together earned thousands of dollars a month
Gone. All of it.
I stopped watching YouTube, Netflix, and TikTok. I stopped listening to endless playlists of recorded music. I even stopped gaming. Because once I stepped back, I saw it clearly: most of what we consume online is designed to keep us feeling powerless, like batteries being drained for someone else’s benefit.
When I unplugged, my mind and body started to heal. I could think clearly again. I could be present with my wife, my kids, my friends. The peace I was chasing online was always waiting for me offline.
What I’m Doing Now
Today I’m rebuilding my life around things that truly matter. I’m an author in St. Petersburg, Florida, writing books like I Was Famous on the Internet and Author in St. Petersburg.
I start massage school in September 2025, and when I graduate I plan to offer a unique blend of bodywork and coaching — massage combined with deep, supportive conversation.
My sobriety has been at the heart of all this. I’ve been sober since April 22, 2014, and I still attend five AA meetings a week. Recovery taught me that real growth happens face-to-face, not on a screen.
Books, bodywork, and real conversations — that’s the path I’m walking now.
Visit My Website for the Full Story
If this resonates with you, I invite you to read the full story on my website: JerryBanfield.com. You’ll find more about my books, my coaching work, and my upcoming journey into massage therapy.
I deleted my old online world because it was draining my life away. What I’m building now is rooted in integrity, healing, and human connection.
Thanks for reading — I hope to connect with you beyond the screen. I posted this here to Hive given I am not able to delete this account ...
It surprised me to see your activity on my recent postings here on HIVE. It had been some time since last seeing you active. Congrats on your sobriety and turning your life around.
Will check it out with interest. 😎👍
Congratulations @jerrybanfield! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 400000 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCheck out our last posts:
If I hear or think of your name, I see you dancing in a diaper (no trolling, just being absolutely honest!^^), but reading this I have to admit - it at least sound a lot like you found a good way into a way more normal life. GZ
Even I would never wanted to get coached or massaged by you, could not take this serious due to the pictures that would be running in my head. :DD
Good luck for your future and thanks for the mentioned and lots of other similar moments - made me laugh again!^^
Make sure your kids will never get to see those videos!^^
I think we met at the Lisbon meetup. You were pretty big on the old chain, but then that was small beer compared to the corporate platforms.
I hope life is good for you. Being online can be addictive and I can't imagine what it's like to have hundreds of thousands of fans. That must create a lot of pressure.
I see you have some enemies here. I really think anyone should be able to create here if they are not trying to abuse the system, but some people hold grudges.
!BEER
I am very happy for you and for your new direction in life and thank you for sharing.
Your posts and videos have helped me a lot when I first started on Steemit.
Wish you and your family all the best.
I think you meant to reply to Jerry, not me