The social media landscape has shown the first evidence of the phenomenon called Digital Global Meltdown. *cue tumbleweeds*

This meltdown, is all manmade and there is no questionable science for deniers to hide behind. We are responsible for this mess and the toxic waste left behind in cyberspace. Social media has become a vast wasteland of digital self-promotional tripe. (I don’t say Spam, because what I’m finding on my timeline gives that putrid canned meat a bad name)

My Twitter feed is a fricken mix of clickbait quizzes asking, which Disney Princess I most resemble, endless, repetitive book promotion and political diatribe. And, since I know you’re wondering about the outcome of the Disney Princess quiz, it’s Ariel, okay? Don’t judge me.

The people I want to connect with are hidden in the Where’s Waldo world of social media. Our tweets are soap bubbles in a windstorm, lost to the Twitterverse. Lists, hashtags and third party apps like Hootsuite are the only means to navigate this promotional clutter to find the people, groups and topics, I want to see. In the wild mess that is my timeline, I may succumb and actually buy your book, and then you turn around and unfollow me. Bad Twitter user! Why don’t you just toss a couple of dollars on my nightstand on the way out?

Don’t treat me like a whore.
image by jenni konrad via flickr creative commons

Twitter is an odd place. Where else can you “buy” followers, then turn around and flog them with your unrelenting stream of book sales offers. It’s a bad S&M scenario and the only things missing are a ball-gag and a safe word.

Facebook isn’t very far behind in the race to the bottom. Photo after photo of the same book cover. At least mix it up with some humor, or some actual, I don’t know – content, maybe? I wish there were a way (short of blocking) to say, “Yep, saw that – don’t need to see it again and again.” Or, “Bought your book, posted a good review, now leave me the hell alone.” I appreciate that social media is a way to get your message and your book out there. I’ll support you with a share or retweet. But, for the love of everything holy, don’t let that be the only thing you post.

Thousands of years from now, archeologists will scrape the off the dirt of what was our civilization and they will judge us as a race caught up with self-promotion, political ravings and as a people incapable of one-on-one interaction. We will be deemed, a “shallow and intolerant species, destined for extinction.”

What’s become of them?
image by sean clover via flickr creative commons

Granted, my timeline is full of the topics I tend to follow: books, writing, authors, crime and the like. So, I’m bound to see more book promotion. Be proud of your accomplishments. You wrote a book. Not everyone can say that. Shout it! But, after that, what else ya’ got? I want to know about you. If you are a race-baiting blowhard, or a self-important douche-nozzle, I don’t care how great your book is supposed to be, it ain’t gonna sell.

Post what you like, but remember, thousands of years from now, clip on man buns and self-important drivel will have predicted our demise. Only you can prevent digital global warming.