For those who have followed my Substack for the last 2 years and nearly 90 posts, you may have heard me mention on several occasions that I don’t do social media. I have a professional LinkedIn account that I never posted anything on, so I’m not sure if that counts.
My daughter was a toddler when the Facebook craze started sweeping Generation X and others off their feet as it left the college campuses and started going mainstream. My now ex-wife signed up for it, and like many others, she became immersed in the ability to share pictures and messages with friends, former classmates, etc.
The first time I heard of Twitter, it was connected to some prisoners in a Middle Eastern country, maybe Iran, and they may have been Americans, but they sent a tweet to alert people they’d been put in prison.
TikTok used to be “Music.ly”, and I can remember our preteen girls begging to get a Music.ly account because it was fun, and they liked the short video aspect of it.
Then, the Chinese Communist Party took it over, and I’m sure it’s capturing data on millions of Americans.
But, as for me, I’ve never signed up for a social media account.
I was too busy with work, with being a dad, with connecting with my friends and relatives in the real-world, rather than online. I preferred the tangible aspects of that, rather than the escapism it seemed was fostered by this virtual town square.
During the pandemic, though, as I worked long hours and consumed news about the pandemic and contemplated how all of this was going to affect the 2020 election, I realized that my worldview was constrained due to the limitations of conservative websites and the often repetitive programming of Fox News.
I’m a reader. I consume dozens of books each year on a variety of topics, particularly U.S. history and current or recent events.
The lack of other options besides a handful of websites and really one news channel left me wanting more.
I began to notice how certain key people kept coming up on websites or mentions on Fox News. I decided to investigate and found myself exploring the world of Twitter. I was hooked, but not enough to sign up.
I was a voyeur really. I consumed the product, but I wanted to stay disconnected from it. I wanted to be able to not be in a reactive/responsive mode and hooked by it, as most of these social media tools are designed to grab our attention and hold it. We’re the product, or our personal data and time anyway.
During the lead-up to the election of 2020, in the aftermath of an obvious rigged election, and in light of how that’s turned the U.S. topsy-turvy ever since, I found myself increasingly relying on about 2 sources for news and information on the latest issues to be informed on and/or be investigating: Tucker Carlson and citizen journalists on Twitter.
Now, that latter makes this obviously more than “2” sources of info. I paid attention to a wide variety of Twitter personalities, primarily conservative and freedom-loving voices since they’re ignored or censored everywhere else. But, I also discovered some other voices that were either Libertarian and/or classical Liberal.
I found it eye-opening to hear such a wide range of viewpoints across the spectrum, with the common uniting theme of freedom of speech and willingness to challenge sacred cows, like the one about the 2020 election was the “most secure ever”.
Insert eyeroll.
As 2020 turned into 2021, and 2021 turned into 2022, I pared down to about 15 or so, key Twitter accounts that I would surf through. This kept me well-informed, often putting me days ahead of the Fox News news cycle or what my better half would read online through accounts she follows.
As 2022 turned into 2023, surfing Twitter as an observer a few times a day was a habit to keep me well-informed, and sometimes, it provided me ideas for my Flyover Country Substack.
Then a couple of strange things happened that upset my carefully cultivated world of the last few years.
First, Fox News fired Tucker.
This was a punch to the gut. Tucker was appointment viewing in our household, to the point where the kids were even getting into his opening monologues.
Suddenly, there was a void. Tucker had been exiled, and so five hours per week (sometimes more, if we watched any of his Tucker Carlson Today episodes) freed up.
Then a couple of weeks ago, the punch to the gut was followed with the kick to the nuts that carried up to my face and knocked me down.
Twitter started diverting people to a log-in screen.
For the last 3 years, I’ve been able to observe and consume Twitter anonymously. That anonymity is important to me.
It’s why I write this Substack anonymously
I mean, how many people in America can say with some certainty that there’s probably a big hole in their public profile that the government and tech companies have, or really DON’T have on me. They can’t track my likes, my follows, or tag me in photos, because as far as they’re concerned, I don’t exist.
I’d have to say that I’m unique that way. Maybe as unique as my being a heterosexual, conservative Christian male running a non-profit. Possibly as unique as my being a “pureblood” – no COVID and no COVID vaccines.
I didn’t strive to do this just to be unique.
I just never wanted to get sucked into social media like I’d watched so many others.
But now, my primary sources of news have both been snatched from me, a mere two months apart, and I’m not sure what to do next.
I can no longer look at Jack Posobiec’s Twitter page and learn the latest news in politics and current events.
I can’t see Julie Kelly’s latest tweets on the January 6th prisoners and their heinous pre-trial detention.
I can no longer view lifestyle tips from the BowTied jungle guys (and girls) or Mike Cernovich.
I can’t see what up and coming news stories Amber Athey is investigating.
I don’t know what culture wars Matt Walsh is waging or what insightful threads John Hayward (Doc0) is putting out there that really make you think.
It's been about 3 weeks now, since Elon made the change to Twitter.
To this point, I’ve opted to stay “unsigned” by social media. I’m a free agent.
So, what have I been doing with my time?
Well, for starters, my screen time is down.
I try to limit how long I’m on devices to begin with, but this has certainly cut it down even further (maybe 30 to 40%).
It’s allowed me to be invested in the moment.
As I mentioned in my post last Friday, I’m on a tour of the western U.S. with my fiancée and our 3 teenage girls. We’re going whitewater rafting today in the Colorado River. Not having Twitter has certainly enabled me to be “present” and engaged with them, and I daresay, this vacation has been an incredibly invigorating and enjoyable bonding experience.
All 3 will be in high school next year, and by this time next summer, the oldest will have graduated. We may not have many opportunities left to go on family trips like this.
It’s given me the focus to finish or nearly finish key projects.
I’ve been working on a novel for a long time now. I don’t know if anyone will read it, though, the handful of people I’ve shared snippets with have been asking to read more.
Not spending time on Twitter has freed me up to get to about the 2-yard line with this project. I’ve got cover art now for my novel. I’ve got my Kindle Direct Publishing account set-up ready to launch. And I brought a roughly 420+ page manuscript with us on the trip, so I could plug up some final holes in it and do some editing.
I don’t know what I’m going to do about this Twitter conundrum. I have promised myself that if I do sign up, I won’t do it until my novel is launched on Kindle. Call it an incentive program to a hobby that I’ve enjoyed.
But, without it, while less well-informed, I’ve found that I’m much more productive and present in the real-world. At times, as many of you probably know, it seems that Twitter sucks you into a make-believe world of online beefs and snide remarks. Like any tool, it’s only productive if used properly.
You don’t use a hammer to fix a cracked windshield. That analogy is pertinent since we acquired a small crack somewhere in Wyoming.
So, I’ve had some long drives on this trip so far, with many more to go. If you’re like me, your mind can tend to wander when you’re doing that, particularly on wide-open interstates in Flyover Country.
And that lingering question nags at me a bit…
…to tweet or not to tweet?
That remains the question.