This Week's Topic: The Socials
Besides this blog, on which social media platform am I most active as an author? Why that one? What makes it work better for me than others? How often am I there?
{clears throat}
{stares at ground}
{rubs one foot with the other}
Hello, my name is KAK, and I'm a lurker.
I'm on Twitter and Facebook. I check them three to four times a day. It won't look like it if you review my feeds because I read way more than I interact. I "like" lots of stuff, but I rarely engage because--much like the real world--I don't feel the need to insert myself into a monologue or conversation when I have nothing meaningful to contribute. Also, I have a sense of humor that doesn't translate well in social spaces where context is limited and assholes abound. Once upon narrowband connectivity, I worked in online community, which left me with the scars of having zero tolerance for drama and noping my way out of engagement at the first keystroke of batshittery. For these reasons, I err on the side of reticence in public exchanges.
That's not to say I don't respond when someone @'s me. I do (as long as it doesn't trigger my self-preservation sirens). Readers sharing what they like/love about my work? That sort of stuff makes my day/week/month/decade. I'm saving/screenshotting/bookmarking those feel-good interactions. Sliding into my DMs or my Messenger and I don't know you? No. That's akin to you climbing into the backseat of my car without an invitation. AITA? Probably. Unrepentant, though.
My Twitter account is both me and me-the-author, while FB's policies necessitate a split personality. Alas, I neglect the hell out of my author page on FB; yea though, I keep promising myself to provide regular content. My FB personal account's "friends" are mostly folks I know IRL, while those who follow my author page are readers. I'm much more accessible on Twitter. There, I often retweet artists whose work moves me or experts whose threads are enlightening. The majority of accounts I follow on Twitter are strangers whose content intrigued me. I've curated my Twitter feed so the nutbuckets are screaming in their own echo chambers and not on my screen, which keeps it a pleasurable experience.
As for the overlords of either service, I find their ethics appalling and await the day the services implode. Yes, I'm aware there are many, many other services out there. I have accounts on some, but that's mostly to occupy the namespace.
If you're looking for me on Twitter, I'm @KAKrantz, or if you want to find me on FB, I'm @AuthorKAKrantz.
