Writers and Online Communities

A few weeks back I ran a poll to see if anyone was interested in being part of a Writing Academy community. The results were interesting.

    Of all the people who received the email, only around a dozen expressed a positive interest in the idea but a few were very negative. In the past I’ve run surveys that have inspired hundreds of responses. So the low response rate for this one was stunning - but not as shocking to me as the emails I received talking about how online communities were nowadays nasty places to be - full of trolls and haters that writers especially would rather not meet.

    Writers told me of their bad experiences. Of being victimized and abused. Of being made to feel small and worthless. They told me they would rather not get involved than have to experience this stuff. And I don’t blame them!

    Now this is surprising. Some websites like Tribe profess that everybody loves online communities. They recently produced a lavish ninety-minute movie that outlined the massive benefits of running a community to their customers. Indeed my own people at Thinkific also run regular promotions to tempt me into hosting expensive communities within my Academy.

    I resist the hype but in fact I already do run forums for my students.

    Each of my courses hosts a discussion forum for its lessons. I’ve noticed that this aspect of my courses is already scarcely used and that participation in the forums has dropped steadily in the last decade. The inevitable question then would be, why?

    Why don’t people like online communities anymore?

    I blame Facebook and Twitter.

    Twitter is in fact an online community already, and it inspires much hate and conflict as a result, something that Elon lovingly calls free speech.

    Facebook changed its algorithms a long time ago to address the online hate culture by moving away from random interactions to local and “friend” based posting where you were are now mainly accosted by people you know and have a personal interest in. I think Facebook must have noticed that most arguments and disputes on its platform arose from ignorance and malice and were often between people who don’t know each other.

    It appears there’s a type out there who just like abusing strangers - something that writers online experience often, through no fault of their own, and then only by perhaps expressing something that certain other groups find offensive.

    Twenty years ago I noticed that the internet was a minefield that needed to be negotiated with care, which is why I tend to steer clear of conflict if I can help it.

    But actually, this reflects what I’m like as a person, so it wasn’t much of a shift for me. For others, it might be more difficult.

    I too was part of an online writing community for a short while and was surprised by the amount of hostility the group engendered. Again, these people were largely strangers but bore a surprising enmity towards other members. They seemed to view the group as a self-appreciation society and when faced with constructive criticism would lambast and insult their peers, rather than learn from another’s viewpoint. I left the group within a month, so no, I’m not surprised that the idea of writer’s groups has become challenging to the average wannabe author.

    It would be nice to think we could create a safe place for writers to share their feelings and experiences but this new “reset” reality seems to have changed any hope of a secure environment for artists. People are just way too competitive these days. 

    A desire for recognition among a faceless mass of competing people has resulted in hostility, back-stabbing, and demeaning behavior that goes beyond entertainment into something quite dark and scary. Even the most innocent of causes online, whether religious, ecological, political, or personal proves that most communities quickly descend into aggressive and confrontational pits of despair. The idea you can have a community of constantly supportive people is probably now false.
    
     To get back to writing, the main reason why I thought a community for the Academy might be a good idea was really just to reassure you that if you need me I’m here, and that’s all you need to know.

    People do email me all the time for advice and guidance and I’m happy to give it.

    One of my esteemed students mentioned that there was perhaps a general distrust of the online education system at play.

    This is possible given the sheer number of online players currently in this field. But their predominant focus on price-gouging and aggressive marketing might be off-putting for most.

    All in all there appears to be a large amount of distrust for online entities these days.

    Is this valid? Is paranoia the new norm?

    I hope not.

    But let’s rejoice in our own virtual community. You don’t have to join a physical group to feel validated. Just know that by being part of Rob Parnell’s Writing Academy you are already cherished and loved and that your creativity is encouraged without question or criticism.

    You made the right choice.

    You got here.

Keep Writing!

Rob Parnell’s Writing Academy