Thank you for voicing exactly how I feel about being on Instagram right now. It feels like the tipping point between "this is a really nice way to connect with romance people" and "this is a dystopian clown-infested hellhole that makes me hate myself" hits so suddenly when I use it. But the isolation is real too, especially because living abroad makes me feel like I'm missing so much fun stuff Stateside. I love talking to other writers about craft and new books we love and what's good and what's hard in life right now, but the opportunities to do that feel so few and far between.
I know; it just feels less and less authentic? But then there aren't many alternatives -- I guess private discords, group chats, whatever. I also know that Substack has social media-esque features . . . I just never use them!
The Stepford Wives is such a great read! I love the mix of satire and feminism as well as the keen observations about gender roles and society. The film adaptation is worth watching, too.
Okay maybe I'll watch it!! I've never seen it. I just think the book is so good that I always worried the movie adaptation would miss a lot of the nuance and irritate me.
Just to clarify: the 1975 adaptation is worth watching; it plays as a horror film with interesting social commentary. I just listened to a podcast covering the 2004 adaptation and it sounds like a hot mess!
I feel like social media isn't very social anymore.! At least on instagram, anyway; so many people are just trying to get a brand deal or go big. (Now, Bluesky is the closest to Old Twitter, just people hanging out.) But also ig *is* usually where I hear about new books, so we can't all just quit entirely! Unless we all quit together and went back to blogger, that'd be nice.
haha yes I do dream of us all just quitting together, and then no one has to feel any fomo, we can just . . . not. But somehow I doubt that's happening so here we are!
Your Marlins event sounds like so much fun! I hope you get a good turn out. Social media is such a complicated beast these days. It can still be fun and a source for connection but it's also harder and harder for followers to see posts, at least on Instagram where the algorithm is only interested in viral content, which is not actually what most non-creator users want. I agree that social media can sell books! I like seeing what authors are up to but only if they genuinely want to share. That authenticity is what translates, regardless of the platform. It makes sense to me that you'd rather spend your energy on writing Substack posts, where you seem to get good engagement and can explore all manner of topics. (I myself am a regular commenter!)
I always love seeing your name and appreciate your comments!!! For whatever reason, I do just enjoy writing longform stuff so much more than I enjoy posting a picture and a caption. The latter takes a lot more out of me, even though it's arguably so much faster! But that being said, yeah, Instagram is where I find a lot of books/authors I'm interested in, too!
Another great newsletter. I will admit that the entire reason I first joined Xitter like 20 years ago? was to interact with authors (then I discovered other kinds of celebrities and then political stuff and then it got cray) I do tag an author when I gush about a book, and often get a little thanks! reply, which is fine. But I get how depressing it must be to wade through negative mentions just to see if there are any gushes. Seems like Substack might be a nice thing for you guys because it's just fans and well-wishers? I couldn't believe there's such a thing as hate-following, which I learned about on Xitter. Who has this kinda time and what is the motivation? I would guess you can block the undesirables?
Anyway, Shure has ads that feature somebody SHOOTING a bullet into an SM57 and it still works lol. A flex about its durability. Still that whole mic-drop thing makes me instinctively cringe!
Thank you for voicing exactly how I feel about being on Instagram right now. It feels like the tipping point between "this is a really nice way to connect with romance people" and "this is a dystopian clown-infested hellhole that makes me hate myself" hits so suddenly when I use it. But the isolation is real too, especially because living abroad makes me feel like I'm missing so much fun stuff Stateside. I love talking to other writers about craft and new books we love and what's good and what's hard in life right now, but the opportunities to do that feel so few and far between.
I know; it just feels less and less authentic? But then there aren't many alternatives -- I guess private discords, group chats, whatever. I also know that Substack has social media-esque features . . . I just never use them!
Hard same.
Social media, our collective 6th grade frenemy 🫤 you said it all so well (as you always do!) 🩷
hahaha 6th grade frenemy is so spot on
Instagram makes me feel like a door to door salesperson. I’ve never figured out how to enjoy it
god that description is so apt!!
The Stepford Wives is such a great read! I love the mix of satire and feminism as well as the keen observations about gender roles and society. The film adaptation is worth watching, too.
Okay maybe I'll watch it!! I've never seen it. I just think the book is so good that I always worried the movie adaptation would miss a lot of the nuance and irritate me.
Just to clarify: the 1975 adaptation is worth watching; it plays as a horror film with interesting social commentary. I just listened to a podcast covering the 2004 adaptation and it sounds like a hot mess!
oh haha I was definitely thinking of the 2004 one so this clarification is good to know!
I feel like social media isn't very social anymore.! At least on instagram, anyway; so many people are just trying to get a brand deal or go big. (Now, Bluesky is the closest to Old Twitter, just people hanging out.) But also ig *is* usually where I hear about new books, so we can't all just quit entirely! Unless we all quit together and went back to blogger, that'd be nice.
haha yes I do dream of us all just quitting together, and then no one has to feel any fomo, we can just . . . not. But somehow I doubt that's happening so here we are!
Your Marlins event sounds like so much fun! I hope you get a good turn out. Social media is such a complicated beast these days. It can still be fun and a source for connection but it's also harder and harder for followers to see posts, at least on Instagram where the algorithm is only interested in viral content, which is not actually what most non-creator users want. I agree that social media can sell books! I like seeing what authors are up to but only if they genuinely want to share. That authenticity is what translates, regardless of the platform. It makes sense to me that you'd rather spend your energy on writing Substack posts, where you seem to get good engagement and can explore all manner of topics. (I myself am a regular commenter!)
I always love seeing your name and appreciate your comments!!! For whatever reason, I do just enjoy writing longform stuff so much more than I enjoy posting a picture and a caption. The latter takes a lot more out of me, even though it's arguably so much faster! But that being said, yeah, Instagram is where I find a lot of books/authors I'm interested in, too!
Canva sends a shiver down my spine
right, even the word
Another great newsletter. I will admit that the entire reason I first joined Xitter like 20 years ago? was to interact with authors (then I discovered other kinds of celebrities and then political stuff and then it got cray) I do tag an author when I gush about a book, and often get a little thanks! reply, which is fine. But I get how depressing it must be to wade through negative mentions just to see if there are any gushes. Seems like Substack might be a nice thing for you guys because it's just fans and well-wishers? I couldn't believe there's such a thing as hate-following, which I learned about on Xitter. Who has this kinda time and what is the motivation? I would guess you can block the undesirables?
Anyway, Shure has ads that feature somebody SHOOTING a bullet into an SM57 and it still works lol. A flex about its durability. Still that whole mic-drop thing makes me instinctively cringe!