IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING: The contents of this article discuss abuse and trafficking caused by social media platforms. Mentions and discussions of online sexual abuse, child predation, human trafficking, and suicide are and may be included. If you are a minor and don’t think your parents would be comfortable with you reading this article, PLEASE check with them first before continuing on. While I strive to tackle all topics with sensitivity and nuance, this will be a very blatant exposure with links to other sites mainly focusing around these dangers. Please read on with this caution, and do NOT continue on if you do not think you are ready to handle these topics. Thank you <3
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Social media.
For some of us, social media is something our parents have dictated that we’re not old enough for. Some of us already have it. And some of us have considered getting it for business reasons.
When you’re an author, the temptation to get social media is twice as great, because despite “experts” saying it doesn’t help, the results seem to say otherwise. Especially if you’re a YA author like me– teenagers use social media, right? And not to mention there are hundreds of authors on Instagram. Where better to find connections than the pool of online readers and authors?
My first reason for not getting social media was solely the fact that I’m an ADHD brain, and knew that the more ponds I was in, the more time I’d spend jumping between them and less time writing. ADHD brains get addicted to things, and if I didn’t have the temptation, I didn’t have to deal with it.
But over the course of the last two years, I’ve learned something very interesting about some of the most common author platforms– and today, I’m here to share some very solid reasons for never getting social media.
Today, I am putting the whole efficiency of social media aside to show you the real reason I will never get social media– and it’s much darker than just another online addiction.
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Disclaimer Before We Begin
I understand that not everyone will have the same convictions as I do, and I am not here to shame authors who have made the choice to have Instagram (the main focus of this article, as that seems to be the most popular one among my circle of authors and readers). I am here to point out the side that most authors don’t take into consideration when getting social media. However, if you already have Instagram or disagree with my reasoning for my claims, that is totally fine as well. This is an expose, not a debate creator, and everyone is entitled to their opinions.
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There’s a Monster on the Internet…
A while ago, I wrote a poem for fun about my frustration with Instagram. In the fashion of how my poetry usually goes, every line started with “there’s a monster on the internet”, and despite the title being “Instagram”, I didn’t actually say the platform’s name until the end.
Only in the last week did I realize how big of a monster it has really become.
I’ve been working on a paper about trafficking in America, and one of the points that kept getting brought up over and over was the fact that trafficking was no longer the white van that Hollywood shows. Trafficking, in fact, happens most commonly over social media sites, usually in the form of selling pornographic material and the use of blackmail to sexually exploit people. Since 2020, traffickers have learned that they can make just as much money through deepfake AI and sextortion online as they could kidnapping. They don’t even have to leave their homes.
And who better to prey upon than ignorant, easily-manipulated minors?
The National Center Of Sexual Exploitation releases a list every year of the top 12 most dangerous websites that fuel this trafficking and sextortion (by the way, sextortion is sexual abuse through extortion, usually in an online setting). And media sites like Instagram, Spotify, Facebook, Discord, Snapchat, Reddit, and even the gaming platform Roblox have appeared on their lists several times over the last few years.
Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Messenger, claims that they have safeguards in place against trafficking, but an article put out by NCOSE only one month ago shows that this is not the case. In fact, Meta has recently made updates to their systems that make it even harder for their systems to identify explicit content, and there are accounts of convicted child trafficking criminals still up on Instagram. Hundreds of teens, both girls and boys, have been manipulated through Facebook and Instagram– although with its photo-centered platform that attracts teens, Instagram seems to be the bigger offender of the two. It’s been reported that Instagram is the #1 social media platform where predators find and distribute CSAM, or Child Sex Abuse Material, and the #2 platform for sextortion, second only by 1% to Snapchat.
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Instagram: Tool, or Traitor?
“But Allie,” you may be saying. “I’m very careful on Instagram! I don’t post pictures of my face and I’m very careful whom I contact and I have never had any of these problems.”
Thank GOODNESS for that! I don’t want anyone to go through any of these cases! But the ultimate question isn’t really “what if this happens”, it’s “should we be supporting a platform that allows this to happen, continually?”.
You may think that because Instagram is “free” you’re not actually paying anything, but the way Instagram works is that it takes your data and learns from it to sell advertisements to you. Not to mention, you’re paying in time. Is it really worth the price of our time and data to pay a company that has repeatedly refused to make things safer despite its empty promises?
“But with all this evil, don’t we need more people to bring light to this platform?”
But DO we? Is more users going to the platform with healthy content going to help the problem? Or is it just going to encourage the company to cut corners, knowing that regardless it will still have users coming in?
Instagram can be an excellent tool for connection and I have been tempted so many times by the idea of easier access to authors and readers. But you have to ask yourself if it’s really worth it when in a way, you’re still supporting a company that has allowed these things to happen.
You also have to consider this: Instagram viewing is extremely unfriendly to non-Instagram users, with continual prompts to sign up and gain an Instagram account. You might not be a minor, but an author Instagram account with lots of cool stuff on it is a very strong temptation for a reader who is minor to get an account.
Note: In no way am I saying are you responsible for your readers. They make their own choices, same as you do. But it is something to consider before getting an Instagram account.
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What is Really the Benefit?
It is hard to go without social media as an author. The temptations are everywhere and eventually you may decide to get an account for the sake of your business. Honestly, seeing so many of my writing friends going to Instagram really tempts me to go there too. Seeing them TALK to authors I adore makes me want an account. I want to talk to authors! I want to find more readers! And when I see my platform inching along so slowly it is so tempting to get an account because maybe that’s what it needs to get me to that 1k subscribers that feel SO far away.
But you have to be careful, pray hard about it, and ask some tough questions.
- What am I going to gain from getting an account?
- Can I serve my readers better with a (fill in the blank) account?
- Knowing what I know about these companies, can I in good conscience still give them my time and data?
- How will I keep myself safe on these platforms?
Social media shouldn’t be an “on a whim” decision, and you need to consider carefully before you get an account whether you really need it. Writing Off Social is a fantastic podcast about building a platform without social media and I highly suggest checking it out.
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And If You Do…
What if you do decide to get it? Are you a “bad person” for creating an Instagram account?
No, I’m not saying that. But should you decide to join Instagram, I have two tips.
- Don’t share pictures of your face. One of the biggest ways predators manipulate users is using AI imaging to take someone’s face and create “deepfake” porn with AI. Several cases of sextortion have been in relation to this, and in one case, a teenager ended up taking his life because of it. By not sharing your face, you give potential predators less to work off of.
- Have a platform besides social media. There are a lot of people who refuse to get social media and I have several authors I love dearly, but their ONLY platform is social media and it irritates me to no end. Don’t be those authors. Give your non-social-media readers options so they don’t feel like they have to get an account to connect with you.
The Bible tells us that we aren’t supposed to live or act out of fear, and I’m not trying to sound like some sort of doomsday conspiracy theorist who says that the internet is out to get us. The point of this article is not to guilt, but to inform. Many people are unaware of what Meta has or hasn’t done and its relationship with trafficking. Me? I fight these topics in my books, and I cannot in good conscience use these resources for promotion when so many people have been harmed by it. For me, personally, it feels hypocritical and I don’t have a peace about it.
But I am saying, beyond the argument of how efficient social media is– which that alone is being brought into question– I firmly believe that this issue is a greater and more dangerous one than whether or not an X or Instagram account would be better for your platform.
And I personally don’t think that the benefit outweighs the cost.
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Whew! I know that was a heavier article. Thanks for sticking with me through it. If you’ve gotten this far, join in on the conversation in the comments below! What are your opinions about authors having social media accounts? If you have an Instagram account, what are some safety and professional tips you would give?
Stay safe guys <3 I’ll see y’all next week.
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Resources:
Please survey all resources carefully. While I choose articles from sites that I know handle these topics in the mindset of those trying to fight these issues, not all the articles are sanitized and these are some very heavy issues.
Whew! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Allie! I had an author Instagram account before (and it had a photo of my face as my profile picture). But when I noticed quite a few people “following me”– one or two old men– I freaked out so much that I ended up closing my account.
Some years later, I only have my author logo on my website. I, too, feel weird seeing my face on the internet! And I had been trying to convince myself to get back on Instagram (With my logo) to market my books, especially since, as you said, it’s a place where a lot of teen readers probably frequent.
Reading this article has me reconsidering my decision, especially in light of the shocking and awful rise of sextortion and pornography that’s connected to Meta.
I’m glad I’m not the only author who’s now hesitant to use social media… even though it’s super hard as an author to find ways to reach readers. Right now, all I have is my blog (and a small email list connected to my blog).