Is Social Media a Friend or a Foe?

We need it, and we resent it at the same time.

We all know social media can be addictive. There are plenty of studies that will tell you why you should “unplug” some of the time before you realize you have wasted hours checking Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Social media, to me, is the proverbial “love/hate” relationship. However, while I resent the institution, I’m as much a slave as the next person.

I always feel that I’m missing out on something, or I need to be competitive and post any success I’ve had. And at the same time, I resent everyone else who has achieved something. Why them and not me?

Yet, as writers, we are told we must have a presence online, and even more importantly, we should have thousands of followers. Seriously.

Yet, if you know literary agent Randy Peyser, she will tell you to have 10,000 followers before anyone talks to you. I’m not kidding. Check it out yourself.

So, what do you have to do to get those 10,000 followers? You have to be on social media. And, what are we reading all the time? Get off social media to be more creative and stop wasting time posting.

It’s a total enigma.

So, I’ve been trying to figure out how to limit my social media time to get more writing done while hopefully gaining followers in a passive mode.

1. We know we need a platform as writers. Agents and publishers are looking for writers who have some influence in the writing world. It’s a way to connect with other writers and readers as well.

Are you someone that can influence your writing community? Do people follow your lead?

2. Watch out for social media anxiety. Yes, that is a thing. Just about everyone who has ever been on Facebook will tell you they had an experience that something they read made them feel bad. When we’re following top-selling writers and celebrities, we are constantly comparing ourselves to them — we don’t give ourselves the freedom to follow our own journey.

As writers, we are always looking for the next big trend. For a while, it was zombies. We are looking for what is hot on Amazon. Will following these trends help you? Probably not. Be the best writer you can be in your genre. Get offline and find your niche.

3. Social media is a distraction. If you are online, you are not writing or creating. Also, spending hours posting as well as reading does nothing for your creative energy. Watch out for clickbait. It can suck the creativity right out of you.

Writing is difficult enough, so we welcome any distraction, and our social media feed is the ultimate distraction.

Where is your story if you are always online? What has happened to your characters? Your focus gets distorted.

You can’t ‘feel’ your story if you are always online, on your phone, or on Instagram. You are reminded of what others are doing and what you should be doing. In

Social media can suck the creativity right out of you. You are an audience, not a creator. You are a spectator rather than a creator. Is that what you want out of life?

I don’t think so. Be the writer you want to be and get offline.