Twitter: The 21st Century's Inquisition

The “Dark Side” of social media

For a long time I fought against the idea of opening a Twitter account and joining the masses who are obsessed with this phenomenon. I reluctantly gave in when my book, The Excalibur Parchment was launched. It would, Twitter supporters said, give me a platform for promotion and awareness as well as connect me with other authors, suspense/thriller readers and people generally interested in the writing game.

For the most part, I accept those positive views of Twitter.

 But I also see a dark side to Twitter (and other social media platforms).

 Twitter brings out the nasty, vindictive hatefulness of people. Disagreement with society’s generally accepted concepts by one individual leads to vicious, destructive comments and demands that the “offending” Twitterer be hunted down, hung drawn and quartered, and generally made a pariah in society.

To me, Twitter is rapidly becoming the modern day equivalent of the Inquisition.

 

People are condemned without trial. Recently hockey broadcaster Don Cherry made some comments about people who eat seal meat. A firestorm of cruel and malicious response in the Twitter universe resulted. One prominent First Nations leader demanded that Cherry be fired for his “racist remarks”. Political leaders—always eager to follow where votes might lie—responded with equally damning attacks. Outrage and hatred flowed and the media compounded the issue by reporting on the Twitter attacks. Granted, Cherry is a media personality and as such is more open to such coverage; especially given his penchant for outrageous comments. (Which is another aspect of the Cherry comments that his attackers seem to ignore; he specializes in outrageous comments for the sake of outrageousness and attention.)

Was Cherry right? What was the context of his remarks? (It was a comment to his good friend and fellow broadcaster Ron MacLean). Was he serious? Kidding? Teasing a good friend? To the Twitter gestapo it mattered not. They launched into a full-fledged attack without waiting for explanations or context.

This is not about Cherry and his never ending search for attention. Rather, it is about the impact of Twitter on the social niceties of today’s communication trends.

The Twitter revolution seems to have evolved into a mind-numbing collection of either malicious agenda-driver conspiracies or an equally mind-numbing collection of the ignorant led by the unknowing.

And it all swamps much of the good that Twitter can do to keep people informed.

During the Inquisition, people were condemned for opinions contrary to the socially accepted norms. They were considered ‘heretics’ and were burned at the stake. Trials were a sham—if they were held at all. People could inform on their neighbours, family or people they didn’t like without any requirement for proof. The mob mentality disposed of any need for facts or proof.

Too much of the Twitter-sphere operates with the same disregard for truth and evidence. You are condemned because someone says so. And the crowd jumps in to compound the pain and suffering the victim has to endure.

There are too many examples of people who’ve resigned, been fired, seen careers destroyed, relationships blasted, or made pariahs simply by virtue of the ferocity of the Twitter-sphere. It may be that some—even many—of those making comments deserve to be called to account for their comments.

But what bothers me most is the tone that the Twitter opposition utilizes.

A famous American, Patrick Henry, reportedly once said that while he disagreed with an opponent’s viewpoint, he defended their right to say it. Today, Henry would be condemned on Twitter for making such as statement. He would be hunted down and forced to resign from Congress, make humble public apologies (shades of Mao Tse Tung) and then resign himself to isolation and exile.

The era of rational human discourse and debate has forever been shattered by Twitter. Disagreement with a person or position is immediately interpreted in Twitter land to mean dislike and therefore labeled hatred. This kind of attitude is compounded when it comes to discourse on political issues, religion, or even what celebrity/athlete/movie/sport is preferred. Lives can be destroyed and nobody cares, because the victim has broken the cardinal ethos—what the masses say is truth. Any deviation will not be stomached.

I fear that mass condemnation by masses of people who have opinions but no background or information on an issue is rapidly and unfortunately now becoming the accepted standard in place of debate.

And it is not just Twitter at fault. Why, for example, do the masses buy into false information spread by uninformed people with no expertise in an area? Especially when it imperils the lives of thousands of kids. Yes, Jenny McCarthy, an actor with limited skills--none of them in the medical area--I’m talking about you and your rants against vaccination. And yes, I am also talking about the thousands of people who refuse to think for yourselves and do their own research before buying in on McCarthy’s beliefs.

I really fear that Twitter and other forms of social media like Facebook are becoming a voice for the irrational, uninformed and unreasonable. And it saddens me. The era of civilized debate and disagreement is being buried. Difference of opinion with the masses or the accepted norm will not be tolerated.

Resistance, as the Daleks say, is futile.

Twitter is the new Inquisition. And the peril to society will be the same.

 

 

 

 

 

Self Discovery

Earlier this year, I was invited to write a guest blog for my publisher Word Alive. It was an interesting exercise--my mandate was to talk about my experiences in communication as they applied to my writing a novel.

Here's what I produced for them:

I have made a sobering self-discovery. I am the worst author/PR client I have ever had to deal with! Let me explain

As an author, I realise that there are harsh realities I must come to terms with if I my book is to succeed

First, the publishing milieu has changed. Some of it can be put down to technological changes such as the rise of eBooks, and some to contraction of the industry. But some, unfortunately, has to be put down to corporate greed—publishers who refuse to take chances on new material or authors because they are not guaranteed an instant financial recoup that can be passed on to shareholders.  Fortunately, there are publishers like Word Alive who have not fallen into that bottomless maw.

Second, the heavy lifting in terms of publicity and building readership largely falls into the author’s lap. And that applies no matter the size or prestige of the publisher (unless you are already a ‘star’ writer).  This is a major conundrum for authors. First, we are writers not marketers. Second, the more time we spend on marketing and promotion, the less we have for our passion, writing.

I had the advantage of coming into the authorship role with a media background. As a journalist and public relations specialist I had the tools, tricks and techniques that would serve me well.

Then I met the worst, most cantankerous, obstinate and contrarian client I have ever had. Me

No matter what angle I took or what strategy I aimed at, I argued with it.  But slowly, I (the miserable client) began to realize that I (the professional communications expert) really did know what I was doing.

The media climate has changed. Where before, a new book might attract a news editor’s attention, today they dismiss it. At the very least, you could expect that local media would be interested in an area resident-authored book. Not today. Local angles are given short shrift. Space and time constraints allow for coverage of only the biggest stories. Plus, the media works on a 24 hour news cycle—sometimes even a 12 hour cycle. If it doesn’t grab immediate attention it is ignored. And yesterday’s (or last hours’) news is forgotten.

For those who, like me, who are promoting fiction (in my case a suspense thriller with an underlying Christian mindset), this means the mainstream media are out. The client ‘me’ argued with the professional ‘me’ that we should forge ahead. The pro ’me’ disagreed and pointed out the problems.

Unless your book has a startling revolutionary impact upon society in general and is immediate, the chances of your scoring on radio, TV or in the local newspaper are slim and none—and Slim is leaving town!

The Christian media are no different. Although their mandate may differ from mainstream media, their modus operandi doesn’t. This is particularly true in Canada where we have a small, struggling Christian media.  The major TV programmes are interested in instructional and inspirational stories. If you have a book that meets those criteria, by all means try them. But by and large, their interest in books and interviewing authors is diminishing.

In Christian radio, the focus is primarily on music or paid preaching programmes. Few have general interest shows that feature interviews. One huge exception is Kitchener Ontario’s Faith FM which broadcasts a weekly “Arts Connection” show.

And, apart from denominational publications there are very few general Christian print outlets. Some, regrettably, operate on a quid pro quo basis—buy an ad, get a story—which leaves many authors out.

In the United States, the picture is a bit more positive but many of the same concerns and restrictions apply. There may be more media outlets, but their limitations and changing requirements still mean fewer opportunities for authors.

This leaves us with the old word-of-mouth method. And wow has that changed with the advance of social media.

Through blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, My Space, personal websites and others, we have an unlimited opportunity to spread the word.

While I had some limited success with the mainstream approach, I’ve focused the bulk of my promotional efforts on social media. None of this is new, but the fresh paradigms demand elasticity in our thinking and openness to new approaches. 

So I launched a Twitter account,(something I resisted for a long time because of much of Twitter's inanity) started a blog and created a website for my book, The Excalibur Parchment. 

All of this is fundamental. But I have been challenged to go beyond.

Bookstores—especially independents—are also facing challenges. They’re often unwilling or unable to put the time and effort into book signings, so I sought other venues. Coffee shops and small cafes have provided an interesting locale where I can not only sell books but sit and discuss books with other customers. Speaking engagements allow similar opportunities.

But you have to really know your book and your audience. What are the commonalities? What aspect of your work would connect with a different and unique audience?

My book is unusual in that it is partially set in Wales. Not many books are. So I am promoting the book in Welsh societies across North America and in Wales itself. Will it be successful? I don’t know, and it will probably take a while to see results, but it is a new and different platform well worth exploring.

And that, my professional ‘me’ kept telling the crabby client ‘me’, is the whole point.

Changing mass media and publishing climates plus the promotional demands means that authors must develop real flexibility of thinking. It demands a willingness to venture into new paradigms that even publishers may be loath to go.

I realize now that this is a good thing.

After all, most of us wrote our books to push the envelope by opening up new lines of thought or action, creating new challenging worlds and throwing new ideas into the loop. Why then would we pedantically stick to the “old ways” of promoting books?

It’s been said that the seven deadliest words are “we’ve never done it that way before”!  Authors today have an amazing opportunity to be just as creative in promotion as in our writing.

Books—whether electronic, print or a platform not yet imagined —will always have a place in our society. They are our learning tools, our imagination tools, our soothing tools, our joyful tools, our inspirational tools. Books will never go out of style though their format may change

And now we have new ways of directly engaging our readers that draw them in to the very heart of what we do—communicate truths, tell stories, challenge, inform and educate.

What a great time to be an author!