Tag: social media

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I’m not really anti-social…

I’m not anti-social, but I am becoming more and more anti-social-media. It’s definitely an “It’s complicated” relationship.

someecards meme about being anti-social media
meme by someecards

We’ve been hearing about the perils and pitfalls of social media for years now, and yet…

I still have a Facebook account and author pages. It’s where I tend to connect with family and other people I know IRL.

I’m also on Instagram and by association, Threads. I like to post pics of the dogs or flowers or my cute grandsons, but my feed on Instagram is now mostly ads, inspirational memes, and videos reposted from TikTok. The impermanence of Stories just makes me sad.

I had high hopes for Threads because I miss engaging with other in the author community, but its taking what now seems to be the inevitable turn. Why can’t we have nice things?

Scrolling TikTok left me annoyed by the amount of time I’ve wasted, so I deleted it. I’m also one of those people who hated watching people stage fake oopsie-daisies on America’s Favorite Home Videos, so… Not my thing.

Once upon a time, I signed up for a LinkedIn account, but I don’t use it. Nor do I consider it social media.

I cut ties with The App Formerly Known as Twitter in 2019. What a cesspool.

But authors are encouraged to be everywhere.

They say we never know where we’re going to find our next avid reader, so we cast our nets wide. We ask engaging questions, post endless game memes, and generally do things that don’t suit our personalities on the off chance we might reach new readers. I have watched people I know personally create a whole new “author personna” for social media, and I’m telling you, it’s freaky.

I just…can’t. It’s exhausting. I’d rather be writing.

I’ll keep my accounts, of course, but I am going to curate them more. Some I’ll use purely for book-related promotion, others for more personal reasons. But I’m not going to do the thing where I post to social media to let people know I won’t be posting to social media, though.

Links to blog posts and newsletters will auto-post to some accounts, but if you’re looking for me, you can always find me here.

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Back to blogging

I’m coming back to the blog.

Why? I miss it. I miss the interaction I get to have with people here, even if it’s only a few.

Aren’t blogs kind of, you know, dead? I don’t care. I’m tired of chasing trends, disenchanted with social media, and want something more personal than my newsletter.

Will you still send newsletters? Of course! But there will be a little more of me in the posts here.

How often will you post? I’m not sure. I think not weekly, but maybe a couple of times a month.

About what? General babbling. Life, writing, books, anything, and everything.

Is anyone still out there in the blog-o-sphere?

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Monday Mayhem – Slowing My Scroll

We have rolled into September. How did that happen? With the change of the calendar page, I decided to make a change of my own. I am slowing my scroll.

What does that mean? It means I have removed all my social media apps from my phone.

Gasp!

social media icons

Like many people, I’ve been thinking about breaking the social media habit for a while now. Facebook is great for keeping up with family and old friends, but the recent political climate has tainted the fun as far as I am concerned.

And Twitter… Oh, I have such a love/hate relationship with Twitter. I used to love it. There are some things I love still.

Every Sunday night, a bunch of romance writers have a weekly chat on a variety of topics. It’s been an excellent place to get to know other authors, and for us to share a little of the angst that comes with being a writer. And trust me, there’s a lot of angst.

But along with all that good stuff comes a sort of gang mentality. Twitter is very us against them. And the pile-on… It can get ugly.

True, social media has given each of us a platform. We can share our every thought, opinion, or memorable meal. But should we?

I agree, some of it is good and fun. However, I find much of it draining.  For that reason, I’ve been finding ways to limit my time using it.

Ironically, I learned about Scroll Free September from an article my niece shared. Still, I X’ing out of all those apps.

I’m mostly over my fear of missing out. Probably because I’m pretty sure I won’t be missing much that would do me any good. At least, nothing I need to know about while standing in line at Walgreen’s.

I can always take a look when I’m on the computer.

It’s a holiday!

So, happy Labor Day, my friends.

I hope this day of rest is the perfect reward for all of your hard work.

Put your phone down.

Go out and play.

If you need me, you can reach me the old fashioned way…maggiewells1@gmail.com