For me, that is. I am talking about social media. This post will be about my decision to leave most of my social media sites. I dropped social media for good; my internet presence is summed in two sites, all related to writing and my art, and this blog. Simply put, it was too loud for me, and my personality could not adjust to it. I am a bit of a lone wolf, introspective, introverted, and the quiet type. I like silence, I enjoy solitude, and I have never been a social butterfly. In an ideal world one site is good for me. Some people don’t understand this, and might suggest that I am missing so much and so many opportunities by dropping social media. How can I miss what I don’t want? I believe in doing what I enjoy, and when something becomes a chore, or is robbing me of time and focus that I rather put in something else, then it is not working for me.

Another argument is that you have to be well-connected online by having many venues to promote your work. I understand this, however, I think this only works if you love doing it in a genuine way. Besides, there are authors who don’t have a social media or internet presence, or have minimal exposure.

Argument three suggests that times have changed, and things do work different these days – the internet rules. I agree. However, it is up to me to utilize parts of it to express the parts of me that I choose to express, and that is fine. I think many people feel that they have to join every social media site to become visible, even when they don’t enjoy it anymore, become stressed about it, and are in a constant battle to keep up with it. For other people, it works just fine; it is like the air they breathe, and they are happy with it. My point is, despite the many suggestions you might hear and read, ultimately you have to do what works for you, personality and working style.

Argument four suggests that it will hurt my writing, as far as exposure goes. I write because I like to write. Right now, I love doing it, and the day I don’t love it anymore I will certainly stop writing. In that aspect, I am not worried about exposure, or ratings, or money, or fame/outside recognition… . I don’t plan to become a traditionally published author either, which seems to require a huge internet presence these days. In simple words, I have been weeding out what doesn’t apply to me.

I wrote about this topic because I think that as writers, we feel pressured to keep up and beyond, even when we don’t want to or don’t enjoy it as much. It is a personal decision to work with the tools that will benefit you and your writing, and enjoy the process as well. For some people, more is better; for other people, less is more. It all comes down to what works for you.