The Riff

Before I thought about it, I joined Threads.

It seemed like the answer to Twitter X. Deleting Twitter X seemed like the answer to Twitter X. Not joining Threads. Not joining Bluesky. Not Mastadon. Not Vero.

How haven’t we seen the madness? Why are we running to another social media platform like it’s the last source of water, an oasis in the desert of the internet?

Speaking of water, Twitter X is taking on water and it’s probably a good great idea to delete those accounts. BUT … sometimes I get contact info via Twitter X. Sometimes people find The Creative Nonfiction Podcast via Twitter X. Twitter X often is where I find out who has a new book out, or a new book coming out. There is utility, fleeting as it is.

What was most distressing this past month was the mad scurry to other social media platforms without stopping to think maybe we don’t need to join another social network. You know it’s bad when @jack of Bluesky (and former Twitter guy) had to remind people that Threads is bigger than Big Brother. Haven’t we wasted enough time? Haven’t we felt lousy enough about ourselves?

If you take a moment and log out of you social media accounts, you will find out just how mindlessly and habitually you visit these platforms out of muscle memory with the hope of all hopes that someone somewhere has seen you in the past 6 minutes since you last checked ____________.

I speak from experience. Every time I go to pull the trigger on deleting Twitter X — this part of me that has been there since 2009, with my very own name! — I think what will I be missing? What about my “platform”? And if I abstain from social media but then ask readers/listeners to share it with their networks, am I just passing the social media buck to someone else to keep my hands clean? Here, place my bet for me so I can wash my hands of being a gambler.

So what did we do in the before times? We met in public, at bars, coffee shops, readings, conferences. IRL was an issue even before Covid. It’s also expensive and time consuming. Some people will need babysitters, or dog sitters, or might feel guilty saddling a spouse with extra chores, or maybe after working 10 hours in a day, the last thing you want to do is see more people.

I worry that we, as artists — or whatever the hell we are — fret too much about how to master a social media platform. When I attended HippoCamp, the most populous talks/presentations all had to do with mastering social media, like standing room only. For those who got good at Twitter X, how’s that treating you? A new head coach came in and drew up a new playbook rendering your skills obsolete. Further reminder that we do not own our material on these platforms.

So you’ve laid out the problem, B.O., what’s your solution, man?

Honestly, the challenge of doing it the hard way is more exciting. There’s nothing mindless about in-real-life. It’s intentional. And what social media companies have done is corrupted our sense of worth and sense of self. I mean, this article about Threads losing half its users is terrifying in its candor. Meta is saying the quiet part loud by saying how they further intend to algorithmically lock you in!

If we only knew how much money they are making off each and every one of us — and believe me there’s a dollar sign floating above your head right now — there’s no way in hell we’d stand for that exploitation. What a side hustle if we were justly compensated for the data we’ve given them! We give it all away for free and pay the heaviest price. The revolution is realizing we never needed them at all.

There’s that moment in the Pixar film Wall-E when the people “wake up” when they step off those flying recliner thingies. I might encourage you to consider putting a single leg down and feel the ground again.

Well, this monthly — free! — newsletter starts here and goes to 11!

The Books

1. The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush

2. Ten Arguments for Delete Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier. I’ve likely recommended this book in the past, but it bears repeating.

3. Tabula Rasa by John McPhee. Needs no explanation, right? McPhee writes about unfinished work.

4. No Ordinary Assignment: A Memoir by Jane Ferguson.

The Other Stuff

5. Thanks to Carlos Barragan for sharing this amazing interview with Patrick Radden Keefe. It checks all the boxes, man. From the interview:

6. How not to write a book.

7. Pedro Martinez, unlikely writing instructor?

8. If you dig piano music for writing or, whatever, this playlist from Kohto from Tears of the Kingdom is pretty cool.

9. Joyce Carol Oates figured out the secret to immortality (and it doesn’t involve horcruxes.)

10. Our culture has a way of making us feel less-than and that more is always the answer. Maybe, for the vast majority of us (certainly me), we need to lean into the fact that we have enough. Enough to start the book. Don’t read another book on writing or listen to another podcast to get motivated or buy a another notebook. This was a nice meditation on “enough.”

11. “Well, the way I like to put it is, the audience finishes the film,” says Christopher Nolan, in an interview with Dennis Overbye.

Support the podcast

If you have a few bucks to spare, Patreon is where it’s at. I’m trying to sweeten the pot for patrons, but everyone seems pretty content just by chipping in a few bucks. No complaints there! No matter, I’ll keep trying to offer any goodies I can think of that’ll show my appreciation for that support. I recently did a spat of one-to-one 30-minute coaching calls. Patreon.com/cnfpod

Free ways to support the show? Kind reviews on Apple Podcasts help validate the show for the wayward CNFer.

And, as always, linking up to the show and sharing it with your writer pals is the best way to keep it alive.

Thanks for reading, CNFers.

Stay wild,

b.r.o.