Free Post: I'm tired of algorithms
Twitter, Facebook and, Instagram: Platforms change algorithms and thus have a huge influence on what we see and what we don't, much to the detriment of authors.
I'm a millennial, through and through. I wear knee-high socks, I'm familiar with Harry Potter and I grew up with the internet. MySpace and Twitter were my old friends. Facebook used to be really cool. Today, Facebook is a wallow for the older generation. I've been on Instagram since 2015 and it's still my place on the net today.
In the beginning, my account was a place where I posted my food and books I was reading. Today it's still a good place. Over the past few years, I've made numerous internet friends with cool, smart, funny, talented, longtime followers. I am a host of a small internet community. However, Substack is currently giving Instagram a run for its money.
But while I love social media, I hate algorithms and stupid trends that sometimes make these platforms a toxic place. Hate posting, bullies and fake news have become part of the internet, social media fuels this trend. But the form of presentation also influences what we consume. Videos are competing with photos and texts. A video gets many more clicks than a post - a horror for authors.
Tiktok and Snapchat: I'm not interested in Gen-Z social media
I do create “content”. I write articles, essays and sometimes I even venture into literature. Really cool, right? But honestly, how are you supposed to keep up as an author in a world where all intellectual property is clumsily labeled as content? And yet, I understand anyone who wants to share their work with others, even monetize it. Very much so.
But not every platform is suitable for authors. Twitter was too short with its 160 characters. Facebook is a junk store. Instagram was long dominated by images, now by videos. Tiktok lives only from videos. There is little room for authors on social media at the moment.
It takes a really long time to produce videos. It works differently. The build-up of tension is different. The massage has to be short. Honestly, I don't understand how I can arouse someone's curiosity about an essay through a video. I can't make someone want to eat salad if I show them chips? That's why I don't see the point of creating a video to draw attention to my writing.
Well known authors as Elif Shafak, Elizabeth Gilbert and, Emma Gannon are on Substack, too.
That's why I'm glad that Substack has managed to make a comeback with the written word. As a reader, I'm even happier than as an author. My favorite authors also write on Substack and in this way are also my colleagues: Elif Shafak, Elizabeth Gilbert and Emma Gannon. How cool is that, please?
I'm honestly bored by the rules of the algorithm, which I don't understand and are constantly changing. To be honest, I don't want to become a pawn of algorithms. For one thing, I don't have the time to research the current rules, understand them and then implement them. I have no desire to please an algorithm.
What I really want to do instead is read, write and connect with like-minded people, just like on Instagram when posts were still being read.
What about you? What do you love about Social-Media and what do you dislike. Feel free to share your thoughts with us. You are also free to leave a subscription to support this newsletter “The Jittering Rattle”.
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