Twitter: A Public Statement

I’ve decided to leave Twitter for the time being, and the leave may be permanent.

I’ve long been upset with the culture of Twitter – the cliques, the pile-ons, the sheer number of unbelievable egos running rampant over there (my ‘favourite’ is a DM screaming BUY MY BOOK! BUY MY BOOK NOW! when they can’t even do me the courtesy of following back!)

However, when I ask a simple yes/no question (that I can’t research on Google) or, God forbid, ask if someone could please glance over 1300 words of my own writing and tell me generally what they think… crickets and tumbleweed.

I have run afoul of “Mens Rights Activists” who have insulted, abused and harassed me.

I’ve had people demand I read and review their books on my own time, and haven’t even bothered to thank me.

I’ve had complete strangers DM me to demand I retweet their stuff.

I’ve had people DM me to ask for money, who’ve then guilt-tripped me when I’ve honestly replied that I have none.

I’ve run into the Hashtag Gestapo, who’ve become belligerent when I’ve “misused” a hashtag that I think they actually believe they own.

I suspect that most of my “followers” actually have me on Mute. And there’s a very telling problem with Twitter and its culture: it allows you to “follow” people and then provides a button for you to, essentially, unfollow them immediately without their knowing.

Yes, I’m a bit angry over it, but more than anything, I’m just so tired. I’m tired of people taking from me and offering absolutely nothing back. (And just so we’re clear – I don’t ask for much back. Just a short answer when I ask something. Just someone to offer to help me in exactly the same way I try to help others with their writing.)

Are there some great people on Twitter? Absolutely. An incomplete, off-the-top-of-the-head list of examples include: Keira Drake, Ben Willoughby (and his wife, who posts under Willoughby Editing), SA Hunt, Kat Kennedy, CM Thompson, Kris Holt, Paul David Chambers and Alex Bledsoe. These are some of the few people who treat others like they’re humans.

Never say never again, but I’ve deleted the app and have no immediate plans to come back.

As for the books I’ve already accepted and said I’ll review – of course I will. I’m a woman of my word (however long it takes to fulfil that word!). But I’m afraid I won’t be accepting new books from complete strangers anymore, either.