There was a time on this planet, where Twitter ruled the Internet. It was the early 2010’s and for maybe five years, it was a bastion of community, comedy, and cynicism the likes of which will never be seen again.
I wrote a whole book about it. (Still available on Amazon.com if you feel frisky, by the way.) And I was hooked. I stayed long after Twitter became passe, and even into the era that shall not be named. (I will NEVER EVER call it X.) It is because I had amassed a family on that app.
A true social network, even though they were pocket friends, or phone friends, they were still friends and people who, no matter morning, noon, or night, could be called upon for a funny joke, a biting comment, or to just listen to things I had to speak into the void of space.
And then, I decided to leave. It was around five years ago, now, where I literally threw away 20,000 Twitter followers after Elon Musk and his ego took over the website. Knowing that he was going to slowly kill everything that made the website fun (especially manipulating the algorithm to push right-wing pundits into my feed.) And so he has.
After suffering through a little bit of phantom-limb sensation, after a few months, I didn’t really miss it. I learned to use less social media in general. I checked in on Instagram maybe once a day to watch a funny video. Or checked the Twitter for hippies, BlueSky, to see a fraction of my friends had migrated there. But the bubble had burst. The toothpaste was all over the bathroom counter. It was never going to be the way it was. And so, I moved on.
But later this summer, I’m publishing a new book. A novel called Paulie’s Pizza, about a 16-year-old kid who gets a job delivering pizza for a mob-run pizza place. It’s a really fun read and I’m very excited to get to share it with everyone. But seeing as I am an independent, self-publishing author, that also means that I am my own marketing department. And ain’t nothing getting done without social media. So over the last few months, I’ve waded back into the pool more aggressively.
You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads, TikTok, and, yes, the application formerly known as Twitter. I’ve been trying to connect with people. I’ve been trying to interact with commentary. Each platform has its own sort of vibe. BlueSky is very liberal. New Twitter is very conservative. Instagram seems like it’s evolved from photos into videos, but still ranks below TikTok – even though TikTok had recently been bought out allowing the new company to futz with the algorithm that made TikTok so viral.
They all have ways to try to game the system, and they all want money to do it. So the only way to do it on the cheap is through pounding the pavement, kissing some babies, and shaking some hands – digitally, of course.
The old phrase goes “it’s like riding a bike” – Well, after taking five years off of social media, it’s like trying to remember how to ride a bike and then do it with a motorcycle in zero-g. It’s different out here.
It’s way more binary. People are even more rude than they ever were back in the day and, it’s just not as fun anymore. And yet, if you want to sell ice, go where it’s warm. So welcome me back to my social media roots.
Or, just plan to buy my book, Paulie’s Pizza, Aug. 11, from Amazon. (And maybe a future book signing at The Landmark offices.)
You can learn more by subscribing to my newsletter (no social media allowed) at chriskamler.com/book.
(Get deep with Kamler at chriskamler.com)
