Cosmere Planets as Social Medias
Note: I am not 100% sure that all of these websites can be called "social media" but eh. Here are the social media (?) websites that I think would be most closely associated with various Cosmere planets.
[The Roshar & Braize entries contain Wind & Truth spoilers, and the Grand Apparatus entry contains Emberdark spoilers!]
1. Komashi: Etsy
A place full of art and beauty and creativity...that is in a constant battle with AI.
2. Threnody: Facebook
The dead never quite rest here: Their profiles, archived and difficult to delete, linger on. Plus, there is an overwhelming feeling of Evil all around.
3. Nalthis: Instagram
You know how the Returned are all large and sexy because when they Return, they get turned into whatever they think is the height of beauty? Well, that's like Instagram filters, where the people and the food and the landscapes can be edited so that they look absolutely glossy.
There are also some people in the corners of Instagram joyfully uploading blurry pictures of the pizza they got on their vacation. That's Idris.
4. Roshar: Twitter [Spoilers for Wind & Truth!]
A land of constant battles, where people gain valor (followers) by coming out on top. Many warriors even try to cause battles through bait, hoping to entrap the unwary and embroil them in conflict. There's also just, like, tons of racism. Plus, the place was recently conquered by a horrible tyrant, so it's only going downhill.
5. Scadrial: TikTok
Man, doesn't it seem like this is everywhere these days? Much like you can't go to any planet in the space-age Cosmere without finding a pocket of Scardrian researchers hiding somewhere, so too can you not go to any airport or bus or park or grocery story without hearing TikTok playing from somewhere. Plus, Scadrial, like TikTok, is a place of investigation and discovery and "spreading the word"--sometimes with honest, good intentions, and sometimes seemingly to deceive and scam you. And it can be really hard to tell which.
6. Grand Apparatus: Reddit [Spoilers for Isles of the Emberdark!]
A place full of many, many different rooms, where you can request the thing that you need. "Please show me winter boots that hold up well," you whisper, and r/boots sweeps its way toward you, promising to fulfil your winter-boot-related needs.
But this doesn't mean it's a happy place. Sometimes you feel trapped. You've been in r/revenge for 19 days now. Sometimes you wonder if it's possible to escape from this place.
7. Braize: 4chan [Spoilers for Wind & Truth!]
It's hell, basically. Full of people being as cruel as possible. But I heard it recently got shut down, so perhaps the torture machine has ended at last?
8. Taldain: Vine
I know very little about Taldain. I know it is Autonomy's planet, so I'm sure it's full of people trying to prove themselves. I know it has a light side that is sandy plus a dark side where people have cool glowing tattoos. I also know that if you pour water on the sand, then VINES will burst forth. So you can tell yourself that I chose Vine because "do it for the vine" is surely an Autonomy motto or you could assume I chose it because my brain said "Fuck it. Sand Vines. Close enough." The choice is yours.
9. Canticle: LinkedIn
Much like the ever-moving, deadly sun stalks this planet, so too does the specter of unemployment stalk those who venture into LinkedIn. Plus, much as the dead exist as a chorus on Canticle, so too do all of those fake postings and fake companies plague the halls of LinkedIn.
10. First of the Sun: Discord
"It's on the Discord" they say when you ask a question. "But Discord is a terrible jungle and I can never find answers there!" you protest. "It's on the Discord" they reply. I guess it's into the jungle for you.
11. Lumar: Pinterest
All of the oceans are color-coded, each with its own glittering waterfall pouring down from the sky. Look me in the eye and tell me that's not a Pinterest planet.
12. Sel: Tumblr
The gods are dead on Sel--that is to say, no matter how many times tumblr is sold to various entities, those entities are never successful, and yet, their influence does linger. Plus, if you just stick to your corner of tumblr and block anyone who annoys you, then it's like you're in a shining silver city full of friends, and no (successful) algorithm exists to forcefully introduce you to things that you don't want to see. But just outside your shining city there are people trying to convert you to their violent ways (terfs) and war (discourse) and other terrible things (bad fandom takes).
But, if you do go exploring & venture into the right places on tumblr/Sel, you'll also find people making INCREDIBLE art.
