I've been tweeting under my real name since 2008. I am very particular about how I use Twitter. I don't reply to everything of interest because having conversations in public feels awkward. My DMs are closed to all but mutual followers as a measure of self-protection. I don't retweet everything I like because I want my timeline to be focused on specific subjects. That's where "liking" or "favoriting" things comes in. I just want to promote my artwork, sell books, and get interior design clients. That's why I signed up for social media in the first place. But as usual, Twitter has ignored the needs of its users in favor of the whims of its founder. And it makes me want to leave, or at least use it less frequently.
In the ten years since I have been on Twitter, it has been a source of disappointment much of the time, at least when it comes to business opportunities. Every once in a while it works for me. I got my first illustration project because the author found me on Twitter. I got my first grant because I found out about the opportunity on Twitter. Its greatest value to me has been as a source of breaking news. Since Michael Jackson's passing in 2009, it has been where I have learned about celebrities' deaths. It's been a way to stay informed without turning my television on. During the uprising in Ferguson, MO it was how I found links to live feeds of what was happening there, without the filter of any reporters' interpretations. It was where I discovered the We Need Diverse Books movement, and many of the protests, marches, rallies, and direct actions I've participated in.
When people who don't have a Twitter account or don't use it complain about it, I always tell them that it depends on who you follow. I am very intentional about who I follow. When I first joined, I only followed accounts related to art or interior design because at the time that was the advice social media experts were giving. I eventually widened the accounts I followed to include news outlets, local businesses I like, and finally "regular people" with interesting perspectives. Because I joined the site when I was 29 and looking for a job, I haven't tweeted many things I regret and would delete. And because I am a creative looking for ways to promote myself, I have never been interested in using Twitter as a platform for debate or even conversation. I see it, as well as my other social media, as my personal billboard.
When Facebook first introduced the "like" button (it seems like it's always been there, but it wasn't), one of my cousins lamented that people wouldn't comment as much on his status updates because of it. Instead of expressing their thoughts and feelings on his posts in their own words, they would just "like" them and move on. This is the reverse. Something about no longer getting the simple affirmation that something I said resonated with someone and having that replaced with "dialogue" really unnerves me. My art is not something I want to debate or defend. I'm not in grad school anymore. I'm online to try to share my work and make money. My finished work, not ideas that are incomplete and could be stolen by an opportunist. My finished thoughts, not ramblings that belong in a journal.
As it becomes more clear that the misuse of the internet—especially social media—
is responsible for much of what's wrong with the world right now, including the current American national nightmare, it makes me feel like I am complicit as a social media user. I have spent years envying other people's social media success, though many have spoken out about how their near-celebrity has brought them a lot of unwanted attention from stalkers and trolls. When I think of that, I feel relieved that I don't have that problem. Still, as an independent artist and author and freelance interior designer, it's imperative that I get the word out about what I have to offer.
Lately I've been thinking that I might be better off sending out postcards than sending tweets. The internet has become so crowded and noisy and it's so hard to get noticed. But maybe if someone saw this in their mailbox they'd buy my book.
Yes, I've become so annoyed with social media that I am looking to direct mail marketing now. There is a lot that social media is good for. I wish it could live up to its promise and that the leaders of social networking companies would get out of the way so it could live up to its full potential.
