What’s the Real Value Proposition for Writers Using Social Media?

The idea that if you want to make an impact in any endeavor you must dedicate hours a day to using social media is, by now, axiomatic. This isn’t just true for writers and other creatives, of course. Practically every industry and sector of public life holds this narrative. If a bear approaches a woman in a forest and no one is there to tweet about it, did it even happen?

There’s still a belief, despite copious evidence to the contrary, that social media is a meritocratic environment that allows ‘the best and brightest’ to naturally emerge; that those who capture the most attention on these platforms are somehow more worthy of listening to. Millions of people can’t be wrong, can they?

Social media is in no way a level playing field. It favors those who efface reason and judiciousness in favor of rhetoric and hyperbole. All users are beholden to opaque algorithms that are designed to prioritized paid ads and subscriber accounts, limit the reach of users who talk about certain ideas or topics, and reward celebrity. Oh, and it fucks with our ability to think deeply.

This year I started up a bunch of social media accounts (see footer) for my author identity. My personal brand has been online since 2003 and I’ve had various accounts with substantial followings since that time. I lost my objectivity about the usefulness of these platforms sometime around 2010.

But starting all of these new accounts from scratch has given me a whole new perspective on the value of social media, and it’s raised some questions about how important it really is in the long run. First, let’s agree on two things:

1. We all have to make choices about what we do with our time and attention. If you’re choosing to spend time on social media, it must be to the exclusion of one or more things that are important to you. For example, writing requires hours of focused concentration. If you break your concentration every 15-30 minutes to check your socials, you’re losing creative momentum, and taking time away from your work.
2. Most of us who are using social media to promote our work are doing so on top of doing the actual work. That is, authors are no longer able to focus on turning out great writing. They’re also now required to do their own Marketing & PR. This is true even of NYT Bestselling authors, many of whom fund their own book tours and do all the nitty gritty stuff promotional shit that, in previous decades, was handled by a team paid for by the publisher.

So. As creatives, we have this whole-ass extra job of promoting our own work. These promotional activities often come at the expense of doing the actual work. Since there’s a cost to it – in time, labor, and money – it’s probably a good idea to consider exactly how effective social media is for those of us who still want to use it for professional reasons.

I see three major concerns (for myself) when it comes to using social media as an aspiring author:

First, I’m not interested in helping someone else build a name for themselves. Most “conversations” (I use this word loosely) – on the microblogging sites like X, Threads and BlueSky – are really just posts by individuals with large followings who make a dogmatic statement or ask a mundane question and people posting responses below on their threads. Sometimes, there’s a person who disagrees, but depending on how they go about it, they’re either ignored or piled upon by sycophants who want to be considered part of the OP’s tribe and perhaps siphon some of their influence off for themselves. None of this really works to anyone’s advantage except the influential OP who is rewarded algorithmically.

Second, any semblance of “community” that there is on these platforms feels superficial. Much of the conversation around writing is commiseration about how challenging writing is, how hard it is to query, how much coffee is needed to get through the day, etc. These topics show up as posts, cartoons, and memes, and are recycled ad nauseam. There are also regular prompts asking people to share things like, “what’s your MC’s biggest fear?” I find these exchanges profoundly unhelpful and uninteresting.

Besides, I have built community around my writing. It’s just not on social media, and it’s not of the ‘tea and sympathy’ sort. My community is small, intentional, and deeply relational; preserved in safe, private spaces (both online and off), where we can have a productive, ongoing conversation around our work. Talking about it on social media with a bunch of random strangers doesn’t fulfill that need for me. In fact, it feels distracting and at times, annoying. No shade to anyone who digs it, but there’s a reason why so many writers and artists throughout history have sought solitude.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I worry about the impact that immersion in social media has on my writing itself. Not only does social media encourage terrible writing, it exposes us to powerful tides of ideals, morals, values and frameworks that may not be our own. I’ve felt the tug of creative hegemony, demanding conformity and threatening excommunication if I dare stray from the dominant narrative about what makes a book worth reading. I want none of it. My writing is art. It may not even be good art, but it’s made with enormous attention to meaning and detail. It reflects my unique view of the world, and I’ve been around long enough to know that who I am doesn’t always jibe with what many people – maybe even most people – want to hear. I’m ok with that. What I’m not ok with is being immersed in an environment that, consciously or unconsciously, alters my creative vision.

I’d also like to add that it’s become increasingly difficult to find value in social media after I’ve spent literally decades pouring my creative energies into it, watching my ideas evaporate, and having nothing to show for all that effort. I’ve written volumes of social media content, and for what?

So then, why keep at it? What’s the purpose of social media for an aspiring author who isn’t interested in bandwagons and small talk? I have personal, private social accounts that I enjoy, but they don’t exist to promote my work. They’re purely social. Is there any good reason for me to continue to use social to promote my writing and my author brand?

I suppose there is. At the end of the day, I do need to find ways to get my name out there, sell books, and make connections with people in the industry. But I’m thinking a lot about how to do it in a way that is both authentic, and that doesn’t entrap me into an information ecosystem that was never designed to work for someone like me.

Meanwhile, if you’re an interesting person – regardless of your identity, what you do, or how long you’ve been on a platform – and you’d like to connect with me, I’d love to know you.

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