Yeah. I know we’re supposed to be socially distancing in our real, physical lives. I’m DOING that. I haven’t left the house for anything but grocery shopping and hiking in the woods for two weeks. I’m growing a quarantine beard and it itches SO MUCH.
But I’m taking a break from social media, too.
I’ve been needing a break for a while. It’s always caused some anxiety, though not to the extreme degree that some people get. Lately, it’s been more negatives than positives, so, yeah, it’s time for a break. Wanna know more about my reasoning for this decision? Here’s a list of what social media does for me:
- Gives me a place to share pictures of Greta. LOOK, if that’s what you’re interested in, you can sign up for my newsletter. I’m probably bumping that up to TWICE monthly, and that’s enough, isn’t it?
- A place to share my writing news. Ok, if something big happens I’ll still drop something into Twitter or Facebook to let you know. My blog posts automatically drop there, so you’ll see that for sure. Yesterday I was part of an AMA over on Redit’s r/fantasy, and it was loads of fun. Those don’t really count. Those activities aren’t the compulsive checking followed by a black hole vortex that swallows hours out of my day.
- Staying connected with friends I met at conventions. This one is a problem. Twitter is essentially my only way to feel connected with a lot of people. Someday when the world starts doing conventions again, I’ll see my friends again. It’ll be fine.
- Funny memes and animal pictures. Here’s the thing. If it’s REALLY good, my wife will tell me about it. She’s the best. If she ever quits social media I might need to buy one of those desk calendars or something.
- I don’t know… book sales or something. Haha. Look. I don’t sell a lot of books through social media. I sometimes share promos that help me grow my mailing list, and you’ll probably still see some of those from time to time. I occasionally read a book that I need to geek out about, and that might draw me back in for short periods of time.
I’ll come back to social media eventually, and my break isn’t complete. It’s more of a SCALING WAY BACK. Expect me to drop in from time to time just to check on what’s happening in the world. Getting Twitter’s skewed worldview and a heavy dose of outrage is, after all, a nice way to find some perspective.
In the meantime, if you want to stay connected with me, join my newsletter, follow my Patreon, or just drop me a comment here on the old blog.
Until then, Greta and I will be sheltering in place.
