The End of Social Media (Again)

Another platform marches into Mount Doom waving a Nazi flag.

Substack sided with Nazis. It is difficult to interpret the decision any other way. Users brought to light the monetization of Nazi accounts. Substack, in one breath, agreed it was awful Nazis existed but yes they should have a platform to spread hate, Substack being one of the platforms. It is a perspective I will never understand. Free speech. Got it. I am free to say whatever I want. That does not mean my local newspaper must reserve a spot for me. If you want to spread hate and conspiracy theories about the Holocaust you are free to do so. No one has to make it easy for you. You should have to go to Kinko’s (is that still a thing?) and pay for copies of your stupid newsletter. You should have to mail it or staple it to telephone poles or leave it at libraries like I do with my books.

I weaned myself off Twitter in the past month. I check my account once a week in case Stephen King decided to DM to ask for a review copy of In the Valley of the Headless Men. (Have your people call my people) Both my Instagram and Threads accounts have 1/4 the followers I had on Twitter, and I was a pretty small fish to begin with. Most of my followers are authors stuck in the same place I am. Where do we go from here? There has not been an untainted social media platform since MySpace, and I’d hate to revive top 8 drama in this era.

How do you generate interest in your work when you are constantly starting over with social media platforms? I often look to others for advice. Some advocate for in person connections. I agree in principle, but it’s not possible for everyone, and it’s also limited by the availability of your audience. I had few outlets for in person connections when I lived in Alabama. It just…wasn’t a thing. I live in a city with some great horror writers now, but de-conflicting the calendars of ten people is tough.

I think the work comes first. The book you are working on comes before any social media platform. You cannot build a following based on potential. Keep your space. Tend to it like a garden you don’t depend on for sustenance. When you’re dreaming about your characters and the journeys they’re on, is Instagram part of the picture? You’re a writer because you love it. Social media is an access point. It is not a measurement of your worth or your potential. Write because you love it, and never side with Nazis.