We are getting old. Me, myself and I… which makes we. Apparently the getting old is a thing. I don’t care for it. I can’t run like I did 10 years an 2 broken feet ago. My boobs prefer to stare at the floor versus the sky. And apparently I’m a “boomer” despite being born in the 80’s.
In a fruitless attempt to youngify myself and get hip, I have been updating and going on the twitch and twitters. I’ve been chirping. I have caught few worms. It’s fine because I’m mostly there to follow other people who amuse me. I’m @BetsySchow if interested.
One thing I’ve noticed is the generational thing. My parents hated tv and rock. For my kids I despised Sugar pop and Youtube. Why watch Youtube? If it’s a let’s play, just go play the game. Go do something.
I stand corrected. After get schooled by my kids I have discovered that some of these YouTube entertainers are funnier than sitcoms with canned laughter from my day. They interact with their fans. The small ones directly, the big ones, like Jacksepticeye, still try to find a way to interact with a community that is 28million strong. They guys are the rock stars and movie stars of a generation. As a writer… I feel like an endangered species.
I have no videos or imagery to watch and catch peoples eye. My voice doesn’t enter your home. Just my words. It’s like being 2d in a 4d world.
People I know are use Patreon and Kickstarter to fund their writing. Me? I long for the days of Stephen King–where you could isolate yourself in a cabin, going slightly mad, and churn out bestsellers. Those days have past. I can either evolve or go extinct.
This is me trying to evolve. Attempting to emerge from my hermitage and social anxiety through the interwebs in small spurts. Then I ran back under my heated blanket, my bones creaking and popping.
My kids are the generation of social media. So instead of being bullied by a class of 15 kids from town, they can be bullied by millions across the world. It makes me terrified and glad I went through my formative years without cell phones and had to walk to school up hill both ways in 6 inches of snow.