I’ve been using various forms of social media since around 2005. I started out with a political blog back in the early 2000s, writing content almost several times a week and putting my (half-baked?) thoughts and opinions out there. A few years later, back in 2008, I joined Twitter. I mainly joined to build networks within my profession, and to be fair, it was great for that. I also used it to co-create activist networks in the profession, co-founding a public library campaign and a varity of other library orientated activities. Then, well, it all got to be a bit of a binfire. And now…well…
Last week a post of mine on Threads went a little viral. It was somewhat amusing as I post very infrequently on there, for reasons I’ll come onto. Now, back in the day, this was not that unusual. Back on Twitter, one post of mine turned out to be one of the most popular on the opening night of the 2012 London Olympics, rapidly increasing my follower count as a result (which always amused me, as I’m sure my tweets about libraries weren’t of that much interest to many of them). By the time I started to lose interest in Twitter, I had over 4,000 followers, including some well-known “blue tick” accounts (when “blue tick” didn’t mean basement dwellers who fork out a monthly fee to their shit-posting overlord). All of this is really to say that social media was a large chunk of my life, I had accounts on all platforms, and I posted whenever time would allow. I couldn’t help myself, I just had to login, see what was happening, and dive in. Never would I have imagined I’d feel the way I do now.
It started before Musk, but Musk has certainly accelerated my disenchantment, not just with Twitter but social media in general. Whereas once Twitter was a good way to network with people and to find common cause, now it is just a mess of abuse and hate. But it’s not just the abuse that makes it all so tiring (and I appreciate here I am talking from a position of privilege, the abuse and hate aren’t directed at middle aged cis straight men), it’s the constant need to keep up on multiple platforms. Remembering to post an update, to check in on people across multiple platforms…it increasingly feels like a chore, no longer a pleasure.
Twitter/X. Instagram. Facebook. Bluesky. Threads. Mastodon. So many platforms, and so little time and energy to engage with all of them. It’s particularly tricky when wanting to post and share your photography. Post on Instagram. Share to Facebook. Head to BlueSky. Post Photo. Head to Threads. Post photo. And of course it’s not just about posting the photos, it’s about ENGAGEMENT. Checking out images posted by the people I follow, liking them, posting a comment, maybe sharing to my Story, moving on to the next one…I feel guilty when I go a few days without seeing and engaging with a photo by one of the people I follow. Do they think I’ve lost interest? Or that I don’t really like their photos? (We are back to the overthinking, folks!) But no, it’s just…TIME.
I think social media is becoming less and less of an important thing in my life. Perhaps that’s a healthy thing. Only five years ago, the very idea of me tiring of the constant post>engage>share cycle seemed far-fetched at best. But I can’t help but think the combination of the Twitter hellscape and the plethora of different social media that has sprung up to be the “new Twitter” has worn me out. I just simply can’t be bothered to maintain a load of different networks all at the same time, and the very thought of it is pushing me towards: why even bother anymore?
But I keep getting pulled back. It’s the fear of losing the connections. The people I have met, admired and befriended along the way. It’s the urge to share my photography. Not least because I made the decision a couple of years ago to start selling my work. No audience, no sales. And therein lies the issue with social media…it has both huge advantages for “creators” (ergh, sorry) as well as huge disadvantages for the spirit. It can both crush you and encourage you. Break you and make you. It’s about understanding how to make it work to your advantage without letting it crush your spirit. Or, given the hellscape that is Twitter, destroy any hope you left have in humankind.
Of course, there will be those that say you should have a STRATEGY. Carefully craft your social media output, develop a plan. LEVERAGE different platforms for different MARKETS. INVEST time to build your AUDIENCE and develop your REACH. But that all sounds like a bit too much effort. It seems to me that social media is worth engaging with, but not worth investing in. If only the TechBro 1930s Fascist Tribute Act had a similar perspective, perhaps it would all be somewhat less…hellish.
See you on Instagram I guess…