AI & social media

about social media

You may note that as author-artist of EXUDE, my social media footprint is rather skimpy. Unlike countless authors today, I don't have maintain a prolific social media presence across the usual medley of platforms often used to promote book launches and such.

This reality is by design.

You see, over the year or so while working on EXUDE (and, to be frank, even well before), I had already been re-evaluating my entire online presence, professional and otherwise.

Without going too deep down any rabbit hole, what I'll say is that somewhere in the middle of this immersive, visual writing project, I decided that social media engagement, despite its grand conveniences and great utility, comes at too-high-a-price in terms of commoditization of the self; not to mention a slew of privacy freedoms too lengthy to list here.

Please note I'm not naive; I understand social media is the world we currently live in BUT that doesn't mean 'I'm helpless' and can't make some adjustments to how I tread (or not) across social media platforms.

I recognize my decision to pull back from some of the major social media players goes against the grain in terms of industry advice; especially during a critical time like a book launch.

But as a free thinker, I've never really been one to 'follow the pack.'

This all being said, I love technology and staying connected. As I type here, I struggle with finding a (better) balance. I'm still not quite yet sure what that balance is or will be for myself, and whatever I decide or do or not on this matter will iterate and adjust because nothing online ever stays static.

Rethinking my social media focus takes time. However I choose to proceed, I'll be measured and selective in my platform choice, especially in today's volatile and dynamic climate.

The platform I'm most active on currently is BlueSky and Pinterest. And though I recently joined Substack, I'm not sure I'll stay there. Meanwhile, while I might run ads on Meta platforms for my author business from time to time, I'm personally not active on Instagram, Threads, nor Facebook.  Moreover, I'm 100% not on X ... nor will you ever find me there.

Therefore, if you're active on social media and happen to post about EXUDE using the #exudebook hashtag, please note there's a strong likelihood I may not see or have access to your conversation(s) because I'm really making significant efforts to taper and readjust engagement on social media as a whole.

In the end, if you *REALLY* want me to see your comments or want a personalized reply from me of any kind, your best bet will be to hit me up on BlueSky (which is shaping up to be my main account) or email me at hellomayrayadir@gmail.com for now.

In gratitude and grace,

PS - My publishing company, Sirenella Press, recently joined YouTube. At the time of this writing, that account has no videos posted as of yet. I'm still debating and kinking out details so this is a fully transparent and real-time process, fyi only.