How to Love Social Media Without Going Crazy

By Cynthia Herron

If you’re a writer, you may have a love-hate relationship with social media. I confess there are aspects of it I really like, and other aspects not so much. While I love to engage online with readers and friends, I also find it necessary to balance my social media time with writing.

Over the years, I’ve learned to strike a happy medium. I choose the platforms which I most enjoy and interact there during specific intervals in my day. One of those platforms is X, formerly Twitter. It’ll always feel weird to call it X and refer to tweets as posts, but maybe that’s just me.

For today’s blog, we’ll concentrate on X, though, some of my points you may find applicable to other platforms.

Here we go.

When I initially jumped on X (Twitter) in 2011, I thought it was the greatest thing since big hair, wide belts, and 80s bands.

It was fun, chatty, and quick. I followed back most people who followed me. Conversations were friendly, snappy, and polite. I met a lot of nice, interesting folks.

Then…

X changed.

It didn’t feel the same way it once had. Conversations seemed stilted, less animated and fun. It no longer enchanted me the way it once had. The fairy dust had worn off. Ugh.

I needed a break. I gave myself permission to scale back for a while, and I’ve made this a regular practice since then.

With any social media platform, it’s sometimes a delicate dance along an ever-changing slope. Algorithms change. Climates change. People change.

The landscape can overwhelm us.

Breathers from our social media platforms allow us to refocus, refuel, and concentrate on writing. Sometimes, when we return, we may set new perimeters.

Here are some of my own personal guidelines.

I don’t always follow back. Here’s why.

I love connecting with fun, interesting, like-minded folks. Now, that doesn’t mean we have to agree on every topic, like the same things, or even speak the same way. After all—same is boring.

But the reality is… no one can follow thousands upon thousands of folks and really “connect.” Number-counting isn’t a priority of mine. Relationships are.

I will not connect with people who share spam, rude commentary, or endless rants. Those accounts hold no appeal.

I don’t sit on social media all day. I simply can’t. I’m a writer, so I write. When I’m able, I pop on and off throughout the day, and I try to check my feed and notifications.

Each month, I pare down inactive accounts and those who appear to no longer use the platform. Some other instances in which I’ve unfollowed people include: off-color content, political drama, or general weirdness.

I use lists. Lists are a great way to stay organized and on top of world events, writing news, and publishing updates. Lists also help streamline my experience and make it more efficient.

I freely use my “Report and Block” feature. Years ago, I hesitated to do this. Now, things have gotten so crazy that if I don’t, one spam account can lead to dozens more. It’s better to report and block trolls, meanies, and spammy accounts and stop them in their tracks before they get out of hand.

I usually share updates on X only a few times a day. Far less than I use to.

I’m careful with automated posts. Occasionally, I’ll use that feature to preschedule updates, but auto-posts don’t communicate the same level of interest or respect as a personal real-time post might.

I think before I post. Many times, we may believe our updates are going off into the wild, blue yonder. While it’s true only a small margin of our connections, friends, and followers may see our posts, I never want anything I say to be perceived as unkind or unprofessional. I also don’t feel the need to overshare. You probably know the kinds of posts I mean.

So, let’s review.

• Share responsibly. Check.
• Establish guidelines that work for YOU. Check.
• Sit back, relax, and feel the love. Check.

You can do social media without going crazy.

And on days you feel as though you might teeter on the brink, simply step away for a while. Your word count and your sanity will thank you.

***

As an avid encourager and lover of the underdog, Cynthia Herron writes Heartfelt, Homespun Fiction from the beautiful Midwest. Her work is represented by WordServe Literary. Connect with “Cindy” on X, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.