social media – Aspires To Create

I have been a prolific user of social media over the years, starting off with Facebook, then Twitter, Blogger, a stab at Instagram, and even Vero. On the whole, I do believe social media can be a force for good, but it’s trapped in a quagmire of toxicity and hate (particularly Twitter) which is not being tackled.

I’ve had a few Facebook and Twitter accounts as I’ve decided to leave, then come back and start again. My first Instagram account felt like a huge waste of time, I was constantly spammed with ads and offers; add to that the constant barrage of idealistic lifestyles, and you end up feeling like a failure for not leading a fantastic and aesthetically pleasing life!

What I have realised though, especially after taking a proper break from Facebook, was that I really didn’t miss using it. I’ve crept back in with a few posts here and there, but honestly, who needs it? People managed perfectly well at keeping in touch before social media, and it was always fun getting photos developed after a holiday!

I’m back on Instagram, giving it a proper go this time, aiming my posts and follows at the writing and reading communities. As books are my biggest passion in life, I can connect with people who have the same interests as me. As a writer, connecting with others is very important. It’s useful for swapping hints, tips, advice and sharing in each other’s stories. I had this initially on Twitter, but my trending feed is full of depressing stories. Another black life is taken by a white cop in the US, the Tories continue to get away with lies and corruption, Meghan Markle is bullied and slagged off on a daily basis. No one is held accountable, and Twitter as a company utterly fails to deal with abusive accounts.

Not that Facebook is much better. You’ve probably all heard the stories of their involvement with Cambridge Analytica, data harvesting, and allowing the Russian interference which influenced the outcome of both US and UK elections a few years back.

All social media companies are complicit in deceit and corruption somewhere along the way. They’re almost as powerful as the right-wing owned mainstream “news” outlets who lie and deceive with impunity.

To cut a long story short.

After some thought, I have decided to permanently close my Twitter account. I will be keeping Facebook as I do have my author page on there which some of my friends follow, but I won’t be using it for personal reasons. I will now only be active on Instagram, and my blog.

I know a lot of my writerly connections on Twitter are also on Instagram, and I’m finding it quite difficult to connect with some of you on Instagram! I would love to stay in touch, so if you haven’t yet connect with me, and would like to, please do! My handle is @AspirestoCreate and it’s all about books, reading and writing.

Hope to see you there!

Ok, so that’s a huge exaggeration as I contemplate my meagre offerings to the Bloggersphere over the last year or so.

But, it does spark a question. What makes anyone or anything, “The World’s Greatest…”?

Is it by being prolific, blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking etc. every day or does that just make you a pest and an attention seeker? Is it the quality of your content i.e. a message so profound that it has far-reaching appeal and gets people talking even though you might then disappear for a few months?

I often wonder about this when I read through my various social media feeds. I know for a fact that in the world of blogging, I am a small fish in a large ocean but that’s fine with me. I say what I have to say, I guage the reactions (if any) and I respond to comments because it’s the courteous thing to do and it’s right to show appreciation.

But, everything has a dark side and this is my problem with social media. On Facebook, users can be as open or as private as they like but it’s the one application where you are laid bare. Some people update their statuses at an alarming rate or have thousands of “friends” (not realistically possible) offering their tuppence-worth and if it’s someone you don’t know particularly well, that can lead to all sorts of problems. I’ve seen a simple reply or comment escalate into virtual war, people blocking each other and never speaking again because something has been taken so out of context or misconstrued.

Social media has removed people’s ability to interact with each other on a human level which is disturbing. It’s almost sociopathic.

So, I shall get back to my scruffy notebook and pen, lose myself in the world of Horizon Skies and it’s characters who don’t need mobiles, internet, social media etc. Because they inhabit a world where none of that exists and I consider that to be glorious.