Want to hear from me more often?

Then this should be the first place you check.

(And if you haven’t noticed, even if you signed up for my newsletter, I’ve yet to really send out any news. This is because I know your inboxes are already inundated with stuff—I don’t want to add to that.)

Not my socials.

I actually loathe social media and nearly everything it encompasses.

It’s an unfortunate truth.

I’m social media adverse. I have a history of abandoning accounts when the followings grow larger than I like.

There are a number of reasons for this, including but not limited to:
+ I’m introverted;
+ there’s a level of social and ethical responsibility that comes with a large platform;
+ I do not wish to be viewed as an expert or primary source in anything because I’m a person figuring things out as I stumble through life too.

Image from Unsplash.

And in today’s day and age, a social media presence is required for any small business to thrive. (Yes, becoming an author is a business.)

Satisfying an algorithm’s hidden and likely superfluous benchmarks are a disingenuous gate preventing a genuine audience from viewing the created content. In essence, social media isn’t designed to help small businesses—and yet we’re expected to use it.

What results is thousands of authors (or artists, musicians, shops, creators, designers, etc.) offering their work (and themselves—via ease of access to the person behind the brand) in a way that too often leaves the creator feeling defeated or unable to connect with others. (Which… isn’t that the whole purported point of social media??)

(I’m not going to get into the impact of social media on mental health heavily in this, but I will leave this Google Scholar search link here if you’re interested in checking out some research articles on the subject.)

Meeting the ever-shifting demands of various social media platforms quickly becomes a full-time job in itself. And algorithms hate me.

I fail to post consistently.

I don’t often follow trends.

I never ragebait.

It’s all a game I’ve little interest in playing.

I would much rather divest my limited energy into other avenues—writing, reading, listening to music, hiking, or enjoying a Dark Souls-esque video game. I prioritize doing things which bring me joy versus steal it.

If someone happens to stumble across one of my social media posts, cool. If they decide to give my work a chance, cooler. If the work happens to resonate with them and they love it… well, that’s best case scenario. A complete win.

My favorite posts are the ones like these—images I take of my books and then share with (usually) a lengthy caption. But they always “perform” the worst.

Now, none of this is meant as any degree of shade or slight against authors (or other creatives/businesses) who do find enjoyment in being on socials. I’ve simply never been one for public speaking (and there’s reason I specialize in elopements and small weddings with my photography business).

Thus, more likely than not, going forward, you’ll see less of me on socials and more of me here—in my little corner. Where I don’t have to prop my phone up, make sure lighting is perfect, or smile when I don’t want to.

Perhaps part of me wants to take away from the power social media has over people. Or perhaps it’s the fact that from a business standpoint, it’s a poor decision to establish an entire reader base through a single avenue (e.g., IG, TT, etc.). At any given time those algorithms can (and will) change. These companies may go under (e.g., MySpace), fall out of favor (e.g., FB), or have a worsening volume of AI-created content (e.g., Pinterest) leaving human-created content to fall wayside.

Instagram’s CEO recently stated the IG we knew a decade ago is dead—thanks to AI.

It’s far easier (and more familiar) for me to articulate my thoughts in writing versus short-form video content. Here, I can share snippets of my author journey, provide whatever insights I might pick up along the way, and be a little more candid about who I am as a person.