š I Don't Understand Social Media
March 2026 edition of the Boopish Newsletter
Topics (click the link to go directly to the thing):
Podcast and news
I donāt understand social media
Short story link: Wayward Captain
Book Updates
Kickstarter Reminder
In case you missed the extra post, you can get to the Kickstarter by clicking here or the banner to go follow the project!
Also, as a special for subscribers, Iām going to mark down the price of every tier by around 20%, just for you all. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, Iāll be sure to share the secret links with you. The special price can only be found through the secret links.
š§ Podcast
Iāve loaded several shorts to the podcast page, so if youāre self-publishing yourself, or like English etymology, take trip to the podcast!
š° News & Ramblings
I really, really donāt understand social media.
Iāve been on social based sites for years. I had an ID for ICQ (shoutout if you remember), I had a couple MySpace pages, and signed up for Facebook when it was available through school email addresses only. I joined Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads, Twitter (X), and even TikTok. Yet, the platforms I chose to nourish were YouTube and Instagram.
I started YouTube in 2017 with soap making tutorials and art ramblings. I started it for fun, but also never really knew how to massage the algorithm to get more eyeballs on my videos. When people did look, it rarely every converted to subscribers, no matter how many tips I followed from other YouTube āgurus.ā I hashtag and use category tags; I optimize my titles and try to make my thumbnails stand out. Iām not conventionally pretty, so I donāt like to use my face, but most of the time, those are the thumbnails people respond to (except for mine because of the ugly).
Nine years later, Iāve got 633 subs on Youtube, which is greatābut not the instant success story you may see grifters peddling on the same site. I still canāt even monetize my channel. Thatās not really the point of why I do it, but Iāll admit, it would be nice to get paid for educational content.
I donāt know how I got these subscribers, but Iām happy theyāre here. They may not even be real, letās be frank. With all the shifting algorithm rules, and lighting fast trend flips, Iāve always just strived to be myself and offer something educational on my platforms. I hate selling myself, despite some of the more recent posts youāve seen. I love to talk about my stories, not convince you to buy them.
At any rate, people arenāt looking for tips, facts, or lessons. Theyāre looking for drama and rage bait.
As a self-published author, Iāve literally heard from an agentās mouth that if you have a decent following on social media, youāre more likely to be picked up. How can I possibly gain a following if I fail to see the point in cruel gossip or the utility in cleaning snow with a gallon of Mister Bubble and AJAX (this actually exists)? How can I entice people to follow any sort of educational content when theyāre looking for the grossly lavish lives of sickeningly wealthy influencers and their designer hauls, or attractive women getting on their hands and knees to lick a toilet seat? How can I encourage anyone to choose my bookāthe one I pored over for literal decadesāwhen the average social media reader is looking for the next Morning Glory Milking Farm (look it up. but do it in a private browser)?
My point is, I donāt understand social media. I post, and get very few views. My YouTube shorts do well enough, but long form content and Instagram posts get crickets. But then again, Iām not letting loose a fart that sounds eerily similar to Chris Isaakās Wicked Game (okay, itās funny).
Iām having a moment here, Iāll be honest. Iāve worked my tail off, juggling a 9-5, writing, and trying to be everything Iām supposed to be as a self-published author. I havenāt taken a legitimate break since August of 2023. Iāll fully admit, I feel a twinge of irritation when I see a Substack post that says something banal like, āguys, Iām crying. I just typed THE END,ā get thousands of likes, comments, and restacks, when I can post a full story and have zero reads. Itās about as irritating as seeing an agent pick up a Dramoine fanfic, publish it, and be taken seriously.
I am here now, in this cold space where I just donāt understand social media. Can you educate me?
š Short Stories
Wayward Captain, a rhyming short story from last yearās NY City Midnight challenge was sent out last month, so if you havenāt checked it out yet, hereās the link:
Should?, my short story for the Writing Battle pro judged competition made it to the final 16! I was incredibly surprised because I consistently donāt go anywhere in battles.
If youāre interested in Writing Battle and would like to try your hand at competing, I have a code you can use for $5 off submission.
JUST FOLLOW THIS LINK to take you there. While I donāt usually win, I love doing this to really stretch my creative writing muscle in ways I would never have thought.
Coming to Substack on the 18th of March: I Understand
š Book Updates
The Northern Roseaarde Series Omnibus
I ordered physical copies of the fully upgraded version of the book, and it is really amazing! I had to adjust only a few minor things, as well as fix a couple typos I found, but other than that, once the project is done, Iāll be able to place the order!
That means this is probably going to be one of the quickest Kickstarters on the platform. The printer Iām using is in the UK, so for any backers in the UK or in the European Union, I will have the book shipped straight to you from the printer. That means, I wonāt be able to sign them.
Iām doing that to save on shipping though, so it helps us both really!
Anyway, if you havenāt gotten sick of me asking, FOLLOW THE PROJECT HERE š
SUBCUTANEOUS Updates
Subcutaneous has made its way back to me from the editor, and now Iām doing all my final walkthroughs, and possibly some additions to the manuscript. As it stands, itās pretty short at 62,500 words (roughly 260 pages). I havenāt decided yet, but the query rejections keep rolling in, so once I make the decision of whether or not to add to it, I should be releasing it soon - in time for Halloween! š
š«§ LH Soaps & Sundries updates
VISIT THE SOAP PAGE HERE to check out the āfinal callā soaps and/or the scrub bars.
I also have some first edition paperback copies of Metaxysm and Hillbilly Vamp listed on my soap site if youād like to CHECK THOSE OUT HERE.
Anyway, thatās all for now, thanks for being awesome!LINKTREE | YOUTUBE | BOOKS | RED BUBBLE
Etymology word of the day: OK (okay). Originally used as a fad trend in 1839 that abbreviates a misspelled phrase āall correctā (oll korrect), it was used during the 1840 presidential campaign between Martin Van Buren and his whig opposer. Eventually, it became ingrained in our vernacular to give someoneās stamp of approval. (Etymonline.com)
I don't understand social media either. It often feels fake and disingenuous. I want to be able to ramble happily about my world and my characters and share my art and people just... materialize š
Maybe social media isnāt meant to be understood by usāmere Homo sapiensāthe inferior intelligence, of course. Perhaps the algorithm took over years ago, and weāre just a copy of a copy of a copy of what was once reality. In this simulation, the algorithm rules all.
Is it possible that what we call ābeing humanā is just a constructāa written code no different from a software updateāand that weāre constantly chasing what we once thought of as being human? The very thing that defines our nature and qualities may also be dictated by the algorithm.
Maybe the reason we canāt figure it out is simply that nothing is real, and the almighty superior intelligence chooses what we see, what we donāt, and what becomes popular. Just a thoughtābut itās more possible than not.
Hope youāre doing wellākeep moving!
Keep being you (or align with the closest thing to the feeling of "you" that feels right)