Authors and Social Media, Part 2: "So what are we all talking about today?"
Publishing drama cyclones and the ultimate question: to participate or not to participate?
Okay, I’m about to get really vulnerable with y’all. I NEVER know what anybody is talking about online.
Like…literally, never. If it weren’t for a handful of very kind authors who offer to DM me about the publishing drama of the day that misses my feed (mainly due to my attempts to train my algorithm to exclusively feed me Muppet content and Mukbang videos about dill pickle flavored food), I would never know anything.
If I ever appear to know what’s going on in this space, it’s exclusively due to those authors (no, I do not name my sources!) and to the irreplaceable Lady Whistlethreads filling me in weekly. Because, despite solely writing about detectives, the disturbing truth is this: I’m a terrible detective. That’s right (sob!) I’m a fraud. I can’t even solve a Nancy Drew mystery. I don’t even like pastries. I’m like that guy who Oprah forced to apologize on network TV, but worse!
Okay, I kid.
But I really am that bad. And, for a long time, that made me feel bad. I felt like if I wasn't in on the latest drama, that meant I wasn’t doing my due diligence. While, let me be clear, no author has said this, the overall vibe is that if you don’t know, you’re not paying enough attention. Here’s the thing that I’ve been knocking around in my brain for the past few months: is it so bad to keep your appearance on socials to a cameo, and subscribe to the notes after the fact (Again, seriously, if you’re an author,
—and if you have money, pay her!)? Is it so bad not to have your own take on everything?
Yes, C-3PO, I do. But, back to my point, I would say it’s a dance. Of course, you want to be aware enough to report and block hateful trolls if it’s needed and asked for. And dressing someone down in comments can be helpful. But, as I scroll my feed after such dramas, I can’t help but wonder: why do we need our own separate take on the matter that invariably centers ourselves? I ask as someone who has definitely done this—because it feels like it’s the thing people are doing to be helpful. But…is it helpful?
Here’s the other question I ask myself: what’s my motive for posting a take on the latest drama? Am I doing it to be helpful? To be seen being helpful? And, here’s the grossest one: if this drama has gotten so big that it’s trending, am I posting about it to get engagement myself?
It’s really hard to know these things when an engagement cyclone has already started. And, then you start seeing the vague posts that are definitely not about you, but you think are about you. So disappointed that so many are staying silent…
“Oh, damn!” you think, self-absorbedly. “This is definitely about me somehow, and I’d better post to make sure I’m not one of those “staying silent” people. I’ve had these thoughts. Ultimately, I don’t like posting for engagement, for all the reasons I listed in Part 1. It doesn’t stop me from having these little, silly thoughts sometimes. It’s partly because I’m human, and I fall victim to the traps most humans do. I’m also sure that internalized white supremacy plays a part in the desire to center myself in such matters (even if only in my head), because I’m white and that shit runs deep.
I only bring these things to the table, because it’s something I wish we talked about more. If you don’t feel that way, please know this is no reflection on you. Many people have the ability to find community on the web and gain deep friendships and satisfaction from being here, and the way you engage online reflects that. That being said, I know there are people like me here too. People who always find themselves panicked and a little nauseated online—who always question ourselves and what we said for hours after the most meaningless interaction.
“Oh my god, I put a comma in the wrong place, do they think I meant that sarcastically? They must think I’m a terrible person, let me edit that comma…oh no, the edit window has lapsed! Better delete it, that should…oh no, what if now they think I deleted that because it was definitely sarcastic?? I’d better just unlike their original comment and pretend I was never here. [five minutes later] They 100% got all those notifications, saw that I unliked their comment and now they think I’m a monster.”
Does this sound like you? Do you feel exactly like the gif below in your soul when you log onto Threads or TikTok? Welcome friend!
