Part of me loves living in the age of social media, where it is easier than ever for me to connected with authors I admire and readers who love my work. I’ve found fans, colleagues and friends on Facebook and Twitter. Heck, I’m old enough to remember Livejournal fondly, even as that long form platform gave way to shorter text based mediums. Both Facebook and Twitter are fading a bit now, reminding me of Livejournal in its twilight years as more and more of my friends left the platform. TikTok and Instagram are the new hot places to hang out, which makes me a little sad as a writer since both of them are visual mediums and I’m much better with words than video or pictures. I do have an Instagram account now, and maybe with time I’ll get used to it–though so far I haven’t even managed to post!
I have invested more time in BookBub and GoodReads which aren’t exactly traditional social media but do allow interactions, and I can share my love of books, which is really what I want most from social media! I’m also on Discord for the first time ever, which has been fun, if very, very confusing–the conversations there move too fast for me most of the time. None of those site have the same level of connection as Facebook or Twitter, though, so I keep trying other new things as well. I keep hoping for is an alternative to Twitter without all the technical issues that seem to plague the site more and more.
There have been a number of alternatives to Twitter created or popularized in the last few months: Mastadon, Hive and most recently Spoutible. I was really excited about Spoutible as it seemed to have most of the features of Twitter but with a stronger anti-harassment stance, at least on paper. Spoutible is really, really new though and it devolved into a flame war to put any Twitter pile-up to shame over the weekend. I was disappointed with the way it went down, though I guess better to have it happen now than later, when I would be even more invested in the site. Still, this is just the kind of thing that is the worst about social media, and makes me wish I could live like a hermit on a mountaintop!
But since that’s not really an option, I’m on the search again, and would be interested to hear your thoughts–what social media sites do you use and what do you like best about them? Have you tried out any new ones lately? Or have you managed to cut the social media cords entirely, and how is the view from up there?
Jaycee Jarvis has been an avid romance reader since devouring all the Sweet Dreams books her middle school library had to offer. Also a fantasy fan from an early age, she often wished those wondrous stories had just a bit more kissing. Now she writes stories with a romantic heart set against a magical backdrop, creating the kind of book she most likes to read.
When not lost in worlds of her own creation, she resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children and a menagerie of pets.
Jaycee is a Golden Heart® finalist and author of the Hands of Destin series. The award winning first book in that series, Taxing Courtship, released in June 2018. The final book in that series, Crowning Courtship, came out in May 2021.
Learn more about her around the web:
- Website: www.jayceejarvis.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayceeJarvis
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayceeJarvis
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18092674.Jaycee_Jarvis
- BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jaycee-jarvis
smpauthors.wordpress.com 
Are those sites online (computer)? I hate having those Aps on my phone.
I think one of my biggest issues with Instagram is how clumsy it is on a laptop–it was a phone app first and it shows. Twitter and Facebook can be used as app or on computers, and I’d really like something laptop friendly myself, since I do most of my screen time on my computer.
I thought Instagram was only on the phone AP.
Thank you, Jaycee, for your views on the current and rising social media. I use Twitter (I decided to stay as long as it does), Facebook, and Instagram as my primaries. I am building my Pinterest. It does make an author weary and we’d all rather just write. I’ll be following you to see what new ones you like.
I’m also with Twitter to the bitter end, though as other people leave it gets less fun and useful. I’m working on Instagram, and do like Mastadon–at least so far!