Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (X) are the places to let your thoughts be heard in today’s world. Everyone has a voice, more or less, in these digital town squares. Whether it be politics, comedy, life advice, or any other topic under the sun, there’s a Group, Subreddit, Thread, or some other home for you. However, these spaces aren’t always as friendly as they may seem.
Over the past few years we’ve seen government censorship of social media. Even when the government isn’t involved, tech giants are no stranger to silencing voices they deem unfavorable. While surprising to some, this includes paid-for services such as Patreon, which we’ve covered in the past. For the firearms community, this issue has been at the forefront of political conversations for over a decade.
Despite years of struggle, and the continued strangulation of 2A content across virtually every social media platform, the community stays with their abusive overlords. No matter how many accounts are banned and muted, posts deleted, and rules changed, we remain. Why is this? Simple, it’s easy, we’re already there, and there are no alternatives. Or at least that’s what some people claim. That leads me to a simple question: Why aren’t you preserving your writing somewhere other than social media?
If you think it is worth posting long form commentary on your own, or other’s social media pages, why are you leaving its existence in the hands of historically oppressive social media overlords and their artificial unintelligent enforcers? Our over-reliance on social media has made information more difficult to find, and at an increased risk of removal without warning or recourse. That has to change if we want to ensure our works continue to exist for years to come.
How to Preserve Your Writing Outside of Social Media
Go write for a publication that you trust. Start a personal blog that you personally control. Save copies of your work to somewhere that isn’t on a stranger’s server or a cloud. These aren’t foolproof, but they’re better bets than solely relying on social media. You may not think what you have to say is valuable enough to keep, but you thought it was important enough to make public in the first place, and someone probably appreciates that you did so. Preserve that for future generations.
It may seem intimidating at first, putting yourself out there in the real world. Taking the first step is the hardest part. It was nearly eight years ago that I got my start right here on Primer Peak. All it took was a message to the Editor in Chief, with some samples of my work. Find a few places that interest you, and reach out.
Support My Work
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Writing isn’t my full-time profession, and nearly everything I do comes out of my own pocket. Between ammunition, tuition, range fees and more, expenses add up fast. If you like what I have to offer, consider making a donation to my Patreon.
Every bit helps bring more work like this to you, and contributes to shortened timelines or more in-depth work on my part. You’ll also have more direct access to me, offering suggestions for future projects, looking behind the scenes, and getting early access to some content. You can find my Patreon >>HERE<<
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