HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I am flying home from Nashville today, and yes, I know those are song lyrics. Do you recognize the song?
But I’ve been thinking about social media, and how much time I spend on social media, and I think the answer to that is: too much.
Watching funny videos of cats and little kids is incredibly entertaining, but so easy to fall into the rabbit hole of entertainment, you know? When I am supposed to be writing?
And yes, it is really truly fun to see what everyone else is doing and what everyone else's lives are and their coming and goings and ups and downs and successes. And failures, sometimes we hear about those as well.
But how much time is the right amount of time to spend on Facebook and Instagram? And, I suppose, Twitter, if you must.
Can you give me some ideas about how much time you spend on social media? What you do and where’d you go? How’s your use of social media changed?
I will be home this afternoon, and cannot wait to hear what you all say!
I don't spend a great deal of time on social media. I log into Jungle Red Writers and First Chapter Fun and I check on my daughters' Facebook pages, but I don't really do much more. Social media us often frustrating and it can really gobble up time . . . .
ReplyDeleteOops . . . I meant to say Reds and Readers . . . .
DeleteI spend too much time on social media. I'm on too many different platforms, and I find myself scrolling when I should be reading or review writing or even doing something productive like cleaning the condo.
ReplyDeleteI spend more time than I used to before we moved to Portugal, but that's partly because of our far flung family and friends (in 7 countries, and some time differences make WhatsApp calls complicated.) Social media does help us keep in touch. But while Rajan was having pre-op consults then surgery, then recuperating, I used it a lot less - mainly to update the same people, but doing a lot less scrolling. I would say I spend about two hours in the morning and maybe a quick peek some evenings, and I stick to FB. I dropped out of Twitter when it changed to X, and I've never used Instagram or TikTok.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention my morning routine always includes JRW. :-)
DeleteI am mostly on Facebook, occasionally venturing back to twitter/X for political commentary, plus a couple of blogs, and I have a presence on Instagram but rarely spend time there. Definitely no TikTok.
ReplyDeleteBut not any of it when I'm writing! That time is sacred.
Safe travels home today, Hank.
HANK, I am posting on Facebook a lot this weekend since I am at Nashville Bouchercon. Normally I do 1 post a day. I have also been cross-posting some photos on Instagram. And of course I visit JRW early each morning!
ReplyDeleteI come here on JRW’s blog every morning . I also go to Five Years a Writer (Amanda’s blog) once a week. That’s it.
ReplyDeleteDanielle
Amanda here: thank you for the shoutout, dear Danielle!!
DeleteI'm on FB more than I want to be, but of late I have been taking entire days off from even touching a computer, tablet, phone, etc. Unsurprisingly, those are some of the most peaceful days of my week. When using social media, I find I can go down music video rabbit holes easily. I am a Pentatonix fan and when they offer new music I get sucked into every reactor's site and can be there for hours. The plus side is that their music really soothes my soul and I come out more peaceful and balanced. Can't say the same for when I go down a FB rabbit hole. And, of course, JRW's is a source of nourishment and insight so I visit here each day I am online. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteVictoria, "nourishment and insight" is a good summation! Brilliant!!
DeleteSafe travels, Hank!
ReplyDeleteFacebook has become my catnip. It knows what types of links you'll follow, in my case advertisements for books. Then every other post in my feed will be an ad for mysteries, or romances, etc. I used to see posts from many more friends and family than I do now. I will follow links to read about books, series, authors, and that is time consuming. I spent way too much time on social media.
BTW, I don't count time spent here in the same way I do Facebook. Neither do I consider FCF as social media time, even though it is. It's different.
Judy, I was thinking the same thing. “But JRW isn’t social media!” — Pat S
DeleteUgh, too much, sometimes? I moved from X to Bluesky, and it was nice because there weren’t as many people so I didn’t need to spend much time to keep up. Still not many from the mystery community there, but I follow lots of SFF writers there now.
ReplyDeleteNext few days are for visiting friends and relatives. That should keep me plenty occupied.
Lisa, so sorry we haven’t met up in Nashville. Have fun with your friends and relatives and have a safe trip home. — Pat S
DeleteThanks, Pat! See you next year?
DeleteI am on Facebook. I follow friends, bookstores that used to be my favourite accounts, writers, columnists. Heather Cox Richardson. I have a Twitter account but only occasionally check some people I follow. Less and less of that. No other social media.
ReplyDeleteI deleted FB in 2016 (no regrets there) and briefly dabbled in Instagram during the lockdown, but haven’t been on there in a couple of years. I do spend time on Pinterest for art inspiration (I paint). That’s it though. Occasionally I think I need FB for community announcements but then I realize I’ve been figuring that all out via texting and looking things up as necessary. I don’t really give social media much thought. I don’t know how much time I was spending on it before I left FB. Not too much. I don’t love/enjoy being on screens. Just a few minutes each morning to read 2-3 newsletters that come through my email box (like this one!) and then I try to get you and work in the yard and walk the dog before and after work. The thought of reading online politcal commentary (opinions) sends shivers down my spine.
ReplyDeleteTry to get *out* (my glasses are in the other room which is apparently too far for me to retire them!)
ReplyDeleteNow I know that I am on social media way too much...My eyes are playing tricks on me. ~ Yesterday when Hank Phillippi Ryan commented that she was unable to reply to all the appliance stories because she was at Bouchercon and had many responsibilities I wondered what responsibilities she would have at Saks Fifth Avenue Avenue's Boston store while looking at Boucheron jewelry in their jewelry department. Ooh La La...What a difference one letter in a word can make!
ReplyDeleteSafe travels Hank--it was wonderful to see you and so many Reds in the flesh! Yes, way too much time on social media, mostly FB, Insta, reading about my friends' lives, watching cat and cooking videos. Maybe we should try a JRW social media cleanse????
ReplyDeleteI scan social media every morning while inhaling my coffee. I do a brief check at lunchtime and again at the end of the writing day. FB has been invaluable for learning about out of the way places to visit and events to attend.
ReplyDeleteOne way I limit how much time I spend on social media is by only being on two of the platforms. Yep, I'm only on Facebook and Twitter.
ReplyDeleteI don't count blogs as social media but even if I did, I'm only visiting two of them daily and just long enough to read and respond to the daily post and perhaps any replies my responses get. Still, for me, I don't think of them as social media.
Now, while being part of only two social media sites, I am on them too much. Well, one of them anyway. Facebook is where I spend too much time. Twitter I go on there to mainly promote whatever articles I happen to write. Yes, I also post or respond to some political stuff but that's way rarer than my articles. I try to avoid most of it though. Hell, other than promoting my articles, I spend way more time there watching M*A*S*H* clips from a show associated account than anything.
Why do I spend so much time on Facebook? Well, in the case of authors and musicians/music groups...it's all your fault. LOL! I have to know what's going on. Do you have a new book coming out I need to know about? A contest? A signing event? Or does a band have a new album due out, a new song released to promote said album? Concert dates? Or did a musician send me some early demos of material they are working on that they want me to check out and offer feedback? Plus I occasionally I have to check on people I actually care about. And there's various music or book groups that I'm part of so there might be something new to talk about there too. And to promote my own work there too.
But I only access Twitter at home so it is before and after work. Facebook I can access at work so I could just not log in while there and that could cut down on how much time overall I spend on social media. I don't really think it is fear of missing out for me as opposed to me just wanting to know what information is out there for the authors and/or musicians/groups I like. But maybe I'm deflecting? Eh, whatever. It's cheaper than actual drugs so I'm okay with my time spent online. And unlike teenagers with no coping mechanisms, I generally don't care about what others may or may not say about me.
I spend less time on FB than I used to (thus I keep missing the JRW Happy Hours!) but I still am there once or twice a day, more if I'm bored or procrastinating. If I post pictures (usually of sunrises or coyotes) then I watch for comments and that tiny addictive rush of pleasure when someone likes my post. I imagine as an author though, you have to create content on social media too. Recently I read Yellowface by R. F. Kuang and her description of the role that social media plays in publishing made me feel a little sick. So necessary and yet brutal.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking the Fifth on this topic.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels home, to all who attended Bouchercon. So sad I couldn't go this time.
Karen, rotfl.
DeleteSafe travels, Hank.
ReplyDeleteI limit my social media. Today is the day I batch schedule all my posts. Then I check in every morning and again in the evening to respond.
I look at this blog first thing in the morning and then, after checking my email and reading the online paper, I might check Facebook. I have been checking it a lot more lately because, as part of the moving process, I have been listing things on the Buy Nothing page on Facebook. That does involve checking back after a day to “award” some neighbor my giveaway. Normally I check Facebook a few times a day, depending on my level of boredom. (And that’s where my rabbit holes are found: videos from The Dodo and other animal related sources!) I have a Twitter/X account but realized recently I never go on there any more. Progress? Not sure, but anything that doesn’t benefit Musk is a good thing, I think. — Pat S
ReplyDeleteThese are all so fascinating and enlightening! On the plane and just getting ready to take off — more to come when I get home .
ReplyDeleteOh, that was me, Hank, above. Xxxx
ReplyDeletesocial media versus other online online time? I start each morning with a cup of coffee and a quick read of the newspapers I subscribe to online. No social media then. But I worry that I spend too much time online overall. And most significantly, I have become one of those people, who feels a little lost without a smart phone attached to my body somewhere! And yes, checking Facebook and getting lost in reels about kids and animals. It's not so much entertainment as it is escape from working on that next manuscript!
ReplyDeleteI spend more time reading news, but not as much time as I probably should keeping up with my FB author page and Insta page. I don't do politics on socials, and am not prone to cute kitten videos unless from the authors I follow who foster kitties (Jess Lourey!) I try to check Twitter (I refuse to call it X, that's just too stupid...) every day or two because I follow a lot of UK accounts that help me to keep up with things and authors in the UK. I get bored with all of it pretty quickly and would rather be reading a book. Or writing one, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI know I spend entirely too much time on Facebook and Instagram and much of it is just mindless scrolling. I don’t even know why much of it is on my feed. It used to be simpler with just the people I am friends with and the groups I have joined. Not thing that some algorithm thinks I may be interested in. I have a Twitter/X account but I am not on that much at all. I Snapchat with my daughter because she isn’t on any of the others. She is a smart girl. I’ve just said no to TIK TOK since it began.
ReplyDeleteHANK: These days I am spending less time on social media. My social media is mainly about books these days. I spend more time reading books or working at the law firm or researching for my historical novel.
ReplyDeleteI delete more emails than I read and am trying to unsubscribe to many. Most of my Facebook viewing has been refocused on funny videos, how to do things more easily and healthy recipes. Yet, for authors that I follow, I do read their newsletters which are usually interesting. When my husband drives, I check my email and mostly just delete the junk. If I need a break, I do play puzzles and word games. If I need to figure out something, I don't hesitate to check YouTube for a video. If I need some music, I tap on my iHeart app. I use Yelp for restaurants often as well as open table. I use grocery store apps to check prices and availability. How did we ever live without these phones!
ReplyDelete