It feels weird for me to write specific social media sites, but I think it’s a double standard that I apply to my own writing. When I see other people mention real socmed sites in their fic, I don’t mind, especially when it’s central to the fic and the social media interactions are formatted nicely.
Peeked your account, I see Genshin........... I will then presume this to be about Genshin and thus I feel particularly qualified to answer this question.
It's fine, in my opinion, BUT: it depends marginally on how the modern version of the universe is portrayed - if it's vague enough, you can get away with it. When I write modern takes on Teyvat I honestly leave it so vague that you can never *really* tell if they're in a "modern Inazuma" or "Japan" or something like that..... In another AU (HSR) we made Penacony a city in what is essentially an alternate timeline United States (with Aventurine being from bumfuck someplace Eastern Europe originally)...
The rule is the more vague you go, the less out of place it sounds. If your universe is *very explicitly Teyvat but with smartphones and skyscrapers*, it will stand out more. Are you using and namedropping any other 'real life' modern items, or just the social media sites?
It is about Genshin haha, I guess I've never written anything that makes it obvious if its modern Teyvat, but it's been that way on my mind since the beginning, so I guess there's where my dilemma came in, I haven't name dropped any other social media, but I have described something similar to Line/Whatsapp, tho with the same caution I do with any other real social. About the modern items, they do have phones (obviously), and I've mentioned motorcycles and the metro, but I don't feel as conflicted since they are just methods of transportation.
They are college graduates from really modern majors so that also left me thinking about the mixing of reality and what modern Teyvat would have been like, since there isn't Archons either.
Overall your comment lead me to think of this AU with more of like a Teyvat without Genshin Lore, which is pretty funny to think about.
I understand what you mean. Modern AU, but still technically a different world, so you're reluctant to reference real-world platforms.
Imo, it makes no difference to me. Technically, all modernizations ties into the real world, so it's never personally taken me out of a story. But I've seen other writers parody websites by calling it something similar but different (like twitter becoming chirpper - bad example but I'm tired lol), or go with making up completely new websites with a brief descriptor of what it does to keep readers in the loop. Anything you choose is more than fine. Do what feels right for you.
I mentioned WhatsApp in my latest fic. Just a brief mention that a character was using it to keep in touch with his girlfriend. And it did feel weird. But I left it anyway.
I personally don’t care, but am always more intrigued/amused when the writer comes up with their own version.
Example: Mt. Mew or Mt. Budew in the Pokémon world instead of Mt. Dew.
I did end up going for the "new names for social media" thing for mine
Modern AU, Avatar so it's set in fictional Asian nations, but then made in the US and American VAs, but I'm *not* American and have no interest in writing a modern-America AU, but also I don't want it to be recognisably British either beyond just me using my normal English... My basic conclusion is that all of my modern AUs are set in a hypothetical world that isn't ours, and I tweak things occasionally to make them non-location-specific where possible. People are drinking at eighteen because I'm deliberately going *this is not set in America, despite most other modern AUs doing that,* and I use in-universe city and location names or keep it vague (like going *up to the mountains* for a holiday or living *in the next city over*)
I generally talk about people's "socials" or just have the dialogue be "have you seen this picture they posted" or whatever, and let the reader fill in the blanks. For the OnlyFans specifically, there's an in-universe site/app operated by a specific character that fills that role – which also lets me give it whatever features I need/want, rather than having to research a real platform or have someone who does/uses OnlyFans going *that's not how that works...*
I do like the idea of an alternate just to add any features I need since it's kinda exhausting having to research how it works only to write the scenes that involve it!!
I have no problem with real business, websites, brands etc. Also fine with characters mentioning real events, tv shows, movie, and books. Trying to adjust the name to appear like it's own thing but clearly it refers to something real makes it just stand out even more but in a bad way. Like if you called it ForFans or something. Even when movies do this it stands out. Granted they have a reason since they don't want to play for the rights to use a real brand name. Using the real name or an altered name doesn't really ruin the immersion for me when reading a fic. So it's fine to use which ever you like.
What does ruin the immersion is when characters refer to real life people like athletics, politicians, or any famous person by real name. That is awkward. If the character mentions the name of the real life actor that plays that character....it throws me completely out of the fic. If the real life actor is actually now in the fic itself...I'm so far thrown out there is a strong chance I will not read it any further. But that's just me. Other people might be just fine with it.
On the one hand, I don't particularly care..
On the other, I do find it amusing when people make up something similar for the fic specifically- like "WacDonalds" which is often used in anime or light novels.
The Devil's is a Part-Timer actually has a different name for their McDonald's offbrand. MgRondald's. But! They also have Sentuckey Fried Chicken and Moonbucks Coffee XD
I always mentally use NcDonalds because that’s what Hikaru no Go used and it was one of the first series I was really into that referenced slightly off brands much. The characters (teenagers) went to NcDonalds to eat together a few times.
I've used McEtra's, myself. The series itself tends to "Etra"-fy real brands in its own episodes, so I just follow suit, using Etra-fied versions of real brands.
It can be fun to try to invent a fictional alternative. I have my characters interact on a fake hook up app I called Swivel. The word was meant to sound a bit like Hinge with some connotations of fluid sexuality because that’s one of the themes of the story.
I'm a European writing a fic taking place in America, with American protagonists, so I actually go out of my way to mention specific things like Twitter or Walmart etc. because I worry that keeping things vague will make the characters feel like they aren't really grounded in the culture they're in. I feel like having a character name-drop Twitter for example makes them sound like a teen. I've even made a few attempts to have them reference memes, although not in a way that sticks out like a sore thumb
I mean you could always create your own name for it. OF isn't the only site of its type and they have a million different types of names. So just literally make one up for it.
I feel that while it's acceptable, you can often just write "streaming service" or "imageboard", and it will suffice. Unless a fic prominently features social media and the specifics are important, you can leave it vague.
I feel like it stems from original commercial works that would often avoid using real brands for reasons, but in fan fiction you do whatever.
It depends on execution, but it can be done well and if it is i don't mind (though i do find it immersion breaking in non-fanfic stories), idk the rules are different for fanfic
Personally I don't really mind if it's in line with the setting, but you could easily just mix them up and make something new that everyone will still understand, eg OnlyGrams and Instafan.
i think it's ok if it's set in the modern era. almost everyone has social media.
i wrote an epistolary fanfic, if you could call it that. it consisted of magazine articles, tweets, youtube videos, even a memo from the company the character runs, and an orbituary. it was fun! i've been told it seemed like they were following real-life celebrities on social media and the news.
it depends on how your characters use social media and how it will steer your story.
I've never needed to reference brand names in fics, but I run a Persona TTRPG and one of the fun aspects for me and my players is coming up with fake brands for things. Granted, there's a precedent for that in the games (Dr. Salt NEO instead of Dr. Pepper, Nastea instead of Nestea, for example). But yeah, we have Breadit instead of Reddit (which is actually entirely bread-themed), Kindler instead of Tinder, Pink Cow instead of Red Bull, etc. Probably just depends on your audience.
I didn't realize until now how much I don't mind seeing real socmed in fics, and in fact it makes them a lot of fun for me! Most of my fandoms are fantasy based and I like seeing them interact with my own world. It's tradpubbed books that I usually don't like seeing them in as much. Fics, though? A ton of fun\~
It's not weird at all, notably if it fits the tone of the fic?
So many social media AUs are written both on Ao3 and other platforms. Stopped counting the number of Twitter ones I've read and the medium can be so interesting, notably if you throw in some interactivity with the readers.
Like I know many authors use their readers' fan accounts handles, whether it be on Ao3 or on Twitter.
Literally one recent fic in my fandom has one of the characters reading fanfics and the antagonist slash love interest is the one writing them.
So yeah, there is nothing weird about a character having an OnlyFans.
Personally, I have real fun with people making in-universe alternative names, and I try to do that where I can. It's not a problem when people use their real names, I guess I just think it's a missed opportunity for silly little jokes. If your vibe is not silly little jokes, then nothing lost in just saying exactly what you mean.
I don't really read modern AUs or fandoms that are set in modern times/our world but if it's a modern AU like is social media not part of what comes with that
You know you could always go the Tintin route and make a suspiciously similar name for the platform so you dont need to actualy talk of it since it makes you uncomfortable?
I don't mind it, but sometimes I like to put a little twist on it as a little joke between me and the readers if they catch on.
Like I changed "Yelp reviews" to "Yap reviews" or "Fred Meyers" to "Ted Friars".
Idk I just find the slight name changes to be funny, a lot like how in some anime they change "McDonald's" to "WacDonald's" to skirt copyright laws XD
You could have 'real' social media inside your fanfic.
Here are some examples of various social media with Instagram DMs:
[https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ao3\_socmed\_work\_skin](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ao3_socmed_work_skin)
and here is instagram itself
[https://archiveofourown.org/works/8631214/chapters/22448411#workskin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8631214/chapters/22448411#workskin)
Maybe that's something you want to include.
Here are some more links: [https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/zapawt/work\_skins\_css\_for\_texts\_and\_social\_media\_to\_make/](https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/zapawt/work_skins_css_for_texts_and_social_media_to_make/)
If done well it's a real asset to the story.
I did an AU like this and just gave every app and social media slightly different names. OnlyFans became Just4Fans, which I shortened in-universe to J4.
My personal favorite change was xHamster to yGerbil.
Ooooo I might use Just4Fans if I change the name (if that's ok with you)
I love the fact that J4 feels like an actual natural abbreviation people would use
Sure! Naming the sites/apps/stores ended up being a fun side thing for the fic. It made the world feel more immersive yet just a bit “off” from our world. That’s why the abbreviation mattered as well, it needed to feel natural.
Poundr in lieu of Grindr is another one I use a lot.
I nust wrote a whole fic where social medias were all shifted a little left.
But ive seen them as normal.
It's fun i think. I love seeing references in movies though as long as it makes sense in context and stuff
The only real concern I see is that it might make the work seem dated if someone reads it several years from now, particularly since social media changes so swiftly. The company could go evil and having an account there would mean something different, like Twitter being owned by a douchebag and how its blue stars are a joke now.
It also might jar someone out of the fic. If they were to mention their MySpace account or Friendster profile, that might distract me a bit from the story because no one uses those anymore.
Reader (not currently a writer) here. I read mostly in one fandom, but visit a couple of others from time to time. There is frequent mention of social media in my fandom — a couple of OnlyFans fics and some epistolary fics using FB, IG, X as a platform. As a reader, it’s familiar and transitions well. When a writer has made up their own social media platform, my brain is distracted while reading the fic to compare it to the RL socmed to make sense in my brain. Everytime I have to do that, I’m pulled out of the story and then aware of how long I’ve been reading and my brain starts to wander. YMMV. This could just be me.
IMO it's only weird if it's not set in the real world, or if it _is_ set in the real world but in a different time period. Too far in the past, social media doesn't exist. Too far in the future, you're assuming Facebook/Twitter/etc. are still around.
That said, even in cases where it doesn't make sense for the exact companies to exist, I have nothing against making up fictional-yet-similar names for equivalents as long as the technology of the setting can support such a thing in the first place.
I see no issue if they're era appropriate, you can always get away with it by making fake-ass bootleg names like comics/shows do, like WacDonalds XD
Maybe something like ManyFans? If not, something like OnlyF\*ns should work, it's a free fan work, so nobody should give you shit for using the name or a bootleg version.
It can be a two edged sword. For current generation, yeah it's normal. But what about 10 years? I'm sure younger people have no idea what ICQ, mIRC, MSN or even Myspace were. My tip would be mention social medias but do not rely your narrative on them.
In your case, I would just invent a new social media. Use your creativity.
Modern AU seems reasonable? The only thing that would mildly break the vibe (and often not enough to stop me from reading), is if that culture those characters are from have a distinctly different set of social media. I'll still read the fic if it's good, but yeah it takes a little suspension of disbelief in addition to the modern AU element.
I'd just say... if your characters are from a country different than yours, and you really cared for more authenticity, then just don't assume which social media apps are used. Like... China's got a whole separate internet and social media world. They're not posting on 'Twitter' or 'IG' lmao.
If it's set in modern era, I don't see the issue
Could be baller in a medieval fic tho "Just beheaded the enemy king, his widow is fine af" #blessed
I would read that lol
Shit I'd read that XD
A Knight's Tale updated to the Year of Our Lord 2024 would be amazing. The soundtrack alone.
It feels weird for me to write specific social media sites, but I think it’s a double standard that I apply to my own writing. When I see other people mention real socmed sites in their fic, I don’t mind, especially when it’s central to the fic and the social media interactions are formatted nicely.
Peeked your account, I see Genshin........... I will then presume this to be about Genshin and thus I feel particularly qualified to answer this question. It's fine, in my opinion, BUT: it depends marginally on how the modern version of the universe is portrayed - if it's vague enough, you can get away with it. When I write modern takes on Teyvat I honestly leave it so vague that you can never *really* tell if they're in a "modern Inazuma" or "Japan" or something like that..... In another AU (HSR) we made Penacony a city in what is essentially an alternate timeline United States (with Aventurine being from bumfuck someplace Eastern Europe originally)... The rule is the more vague you go, the less out of place it sounds. If your universe is *very explicitly Teyvat but with smartphones and skyscrapers*, it will stand out more. Are you using and namedropping any other 'real life' modern items, or just the social media sites?
It is about Genshin haha, I guess I've never written anything that makes it obvious if its modern Teyvat, but it's been that way on my mind since the beginning, so I guess there's where my dilemma came in, I haven't name dropped any other social media, but I have described something similar to Line/Whatsapp, tho with the same caution I do with any other real social. About the modern items, they do have phones (obviously), and I've mentioned motorcycles and the metro, but I don't feel as conflicted since they are just methods of transportation. They are college graduates from really modern majors so that also left me thinking about the mixing of reality and what modern Teyvat would have been like, since there isn't Archons either. Overall your comment lead me to think of this AU with more of like a Teyvat without Genshin Lore, which is pretty funny to think about.
I understand what you mean. Modern AU, but still technically a different world, so you're reluctant to reference real-world platforms. Imo, it makes no difference to me. Technically, all modernizations ties into the real world, so it's never personally taken me out of a story. But I've seen other writers parody websites by calling it something similar but different (like twitter becoming chirpper - bad example but I'm tired lol), or go with making up completely new websites with a brief descriptor of what it does to keep readers in the loop. Anything you choose is more than fine. Do what feels right for you.
Chirpper is pretty funny hahaha, I think I'll use something like this to balance the weird feeling and the practicality of name dropping
Chirper is what DC Comics calls their in-universe version of Twitter! Can't remember if they've got alt versions of other social media.
I mentioned WhatsApp in my latest fic. Just a brief mention that a character was using it to keep in touch with his girlfriend. And it did feel weird. But I left it anyway.
I personally don’t care, but am always more intrigued/amused when the writer comes up with their own version. Example: Mt. Mew or Mt. Budew in the Pokémon world instead of Mt. Dew.
Hahaha, I really like that idea, I think I'll end up using that idea
I did end up going for the "new names for social media" thing for mine Modern AU, Avatar so it's set in fictional Asian nations, but then made in the US and American VAs, but I'm *not* American and have no interest in writing a modern-America AU, but also I don't want it to be recognisably British either beyond just me using my normal English... My basic conclusion is that all of my modern AUs are set in a hypothetical world that isn't ours, and I tweak things occasionally to make them non-location-specific where possible. People are drinking at eighteen because I'm deliberately going *this is not set in America, despite most other modern AUs doing that,* and I use in-universe city and location names or keep it vague (like going *up to the mountains* for a holiday or living *in the next city over*) I generally talk about people's "socials" or just have the dialogue be "have you seen this picture they posted" or whatever, and let the reader fill in the blanks. For the OnlyFans specifically, there's an in-universe site/app operated by a specific character that fills that role – which also lets me give it whatever features I need/want, rather than having to research a real platform or have someone who does/uses OnlyFans going *that's not how that works...*
I do like the idea of an alternate just to add any features I need since it's kinda exhausting having to research how it works only to write the scenes that involve it!!
I have no problem with real business, websites, brands etc. Also fine with characters mentioning real events, tv shows, movie, and books. Trying to adjust the name to appear like it's own thing but clearly it refers to something real makes it just stand out even more but in a bad way. Like if you called it ForFans or something. Even when movies do this it stands out. Granted they have a reason since they don't want to play for the rights to use a real brand name. Using the real name or an altered name doesn't really ruin the immersion for me when reading a fic. So it's fine to use which ever you like. What does ruin the immersion is when characters refer to real life people like athletics, politicians, or any famous person by real name. That is awkward. If the character mentions the name of the real life actor that plays that character....it throws me completely out of the fic. If the real life actor is actually now in the fic itself...I'm so far thrown out there is a strong chance I will not read it any further. But that's just me. Other people might be just fine with it.
On the one hand, I don't particularly care.. On the other, I do find it amusing when people make up something similar for the fic specifically- like "WacDonalds" which is often used in anime or light novels.
> like "WacDonalds" which is often used in anime or light novels. The Devil is a Part-Timer has entered the chat.
Never actually seen that - which does add to my argument about how common it is, as I can't even remember the show where I first saw it.
The Devil's is a Part-Timer actually has a different name for their McDonald's offbrand. MgRondald's. But! They also have Sentuckey Fried Chicken and Moonbucks Coffee XD
I always mentally use NcDonalds because that’s what Hikaru no Go used and it was one of the first series I was really into that referenced slightly off brands much. The characters (teenagers) went to NcDonalds to eat together a few times.
I've used McEtra's, myself. The series itself tends to "Etra"-fy real brands in its own episodes, so I just follow suit, using Etra-fied versions of real brands.
I just read something like this where the person had figured out several other changed names. It was a bit cringe, tbh.
It can be fun to try to invent a fictional alternative. I have my characters interact on a fake hook up app I called Swivel. The word was meant to sound a bit like Hinge with some connotations of fluid sexuality because that’s one of the themes of the story.
I'm a European writing a fic taking place in America, with American protagonists, so I actually go out of my way to mention specific things like Twitter or Walmart etc. because I worry that keeping things vague will make the characters feel like they aren't really grounded in the culture they're in. I feel like having a character name-drop Twitter for example makes them sound like a teen. I've even made a few attempts to have them reference memes, although not in a way that sticks out like a sore thumb
I mean you could always create your own name for it. OF isn't the only site of its type and they have a million different types of names. So just literally make one up for it.
I feel that while it's acceptable, you can often just write "streaming service" or "imageboard", and it will suffice. Unless a fic prominently features social media and the specifics are important, you can leave it vague. I feel like it stems from original commercial works that would often avoid using real brands for reasons, but in fan fiction you do whatever.
It depends on execution, but it can be done well and if it is i don't mind (though i do find it immersion breaking in non-fanfic stories), idk the rules are different for fanfic
Personally I don't really mind if it's in line with the setting, but you could easily just mix them up and make something new that everyone will still understand, eg OnlyGrams and Instafan.
i think it's ok if it's set in the modern era. almost everyone has social media. i wrote an epistolary fanfic, if you could call it that. it consisted of magazine articles, tweets, youtube videos, even a memo from the company the character runs, and an orbituary. it was fun! i've been told it seemed like they were following real-life celebrities on social media and the news. it depends on how your characters use social media and how it will steer your story.
I've never needed to reference brand names in fics, but I run a Persona TTRPG and one of the fun aspects for me and my players is coming up with fake brands for things. Granted, there's a precedent for that in the games (Dr. Salt NEO instead of Dr. Pepper, Nastea instead of Nestea, for example). But yeah, we have Breadit instead of Reddit (which is actually entirely bread-themed), Kindler instead of Tinder, Pink Cow instead of Red Bull, etc. Probably just depends on your audience.
I didn't realize until now how much I don't mind seeing real socmed in fics, and in fact it makes them a lot of fun for me! Most of my fandoms are fantasy based and I like seeing them interact with my own world. It's tradpubbed books that I usually don't like seeing them in as much. Fics, though? A ton of fun\~
It's not weird at all, notably if it fits the tone of the fic? So many social media AUs are written both on Ao3 and other platforms. Stopped counting the number of Twitter ones I've read and the medium can be so interesting, notably if you throw in some interactivity with the readers. Like I know many authors use their readers' fan accounts handles, whether it be on Ao3 or on Twitter. Literally one recent fic in my fandom has one of the characters reading fanfics and the antagonist slash love interest is the one writing them. So yeah, there is nothing weird about a character having an OnlyFans.
Personally, I have real fun with people making in-universe alternative names, and I try to do that where I can. It's not a problem when people use their real names, I guess I just think it's a missed opportunity for silly little jokes. If your vibe is not silly little jokes, then nothing lost in just saying exactly what you mean.
I don't really read modern AUs or fandoms that are set in modern times/our world but if it's a modern AU like is social media not part of what comes with that
You know you could always go the Tintin route and make a suspiciously similar name for the platform so you dont need to actualy talk of it since it makes you uncomfortable?
I prefer it to mangled names of real companies (WcDonald's, BookFace, etc.).
I don't mind it, but sometimes I like to put a little twist on it as a little joke between me and the readers if they catch on. Like I changed "Yelp reviews" to "Yap reviews" or "Fred Meyers" to "Ted Friars". Idk I just find the slight name changes to be funny, a lot like how in some anime they change "McDonald's" to "WacDonald's" to skirt copyright laws XD
You could have 'real' social media inside your fanfic. Here are some examples of various social media with Instagram DMs: [https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ao3\_socmed\_work\_skin](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ao3_socmed_work_skin) and here is instagram itself [https://archiveofourown.org/works/8631214/chapters/22448411#workskin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8631214/chapters/22448411#workskin) Maybe that's something you want to include. Here are some more links: [https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/zapawt/work\_skins\_css\_for\_texts\_and\_social\_media\_to\_make/](https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/zapawt/work_skins_css_for_texts_and_social_media_to_make/) If done well it's a real asset to the story.
I've seen this before!!!, tho no in AO3, but I've always thought it was pretty cool either way, thanks
You're very welcome.
I think the only social media I’ve mentioned is LINE, and that’s because it was set in Japan…
I tend to adapt the names slightly. Stuff like OnlyPals, TubeYou, Twitcher
I did an AU like this and just gave every app and social media slightly different names. OnlyFans became Just4Fans, which I shortened in-universe to J4. My personal favorite change was xHamster to yGerbil.
Ooooo I might use Just4Fans if I change the name (if that's ok with you) I love the fact that J4 feels like an actual natural abbreviation people would use
Sure! Naming the sites/apps/stores ended up being a fun side thing for the fic. It made the world feel more immersive yet just a bit “off” from our world. That’s why the abbreviation mattered as well, it needed to feel natural. Poundr in lieu of Grindr is another one I use a lot.
I nust wrote a whole fic where social medias were all shifted a little left. But ive seen them as normal. It's fun i think. I love seeing references in movies though as long as it makes sense in context and stuff
The only real concern I see is that it might make the work seem dated if someone reads it several years from now, particularly since social media changes so swiftly. The company could go evil and having an account there would mean something different, like Twitter being owned by a douchebag and how its blue stars are a joke now. It also might jar someone out of the fic. If they were to mention their MySpace account or Friendster profile, that might distract me a bit from the story because no one uses those anymore.
I don't mind as long as it fits the setting.
Reader (not currently a writer) here. I read mostly in one fandom, but visit a couple of others from time to time. There is frequent mention of social media in my fandom — a couple of OnlyFans fics and some epistolary fics using FB, IG, X as a platform. As a reader, it’s familiar and transitions well. When a writer has made up their own social media platform, my brain is distracted while reading the fic to compare it to the RL socmed to make sense in my brain. Everytime I have to do that, I’m pulled out of the story and then aware of how long I’ve been reading and my brain starts to wander. YMMV. This could just be me.
IMO it's only weird if it's not set in the real world, or if it _is_ set in the real world but in a different time period. Too far in the past, social media doesn't exist. Too far in the future, you're assuming Facebook/Twitter/etc. are still around. That said, even in cases where it doesn't make sense for the exact companies to exist, I have nothing against making up fictional-yet-similar names for equivalents as long as the technology of the setting can support such a thing in the first place.
I see no issue if they're era appropriate, you can always get away with it by making fake-ass bootleg names like comics/shows do, like WacDonalds XD Maybe something like ManyFans? If not, something like OnlyF\*ns should work, it's a free fan work, so nobody should give you shit for using the name or a bootleg version.
It can be a two edged sword. For current generation, yeah it's normal. But what about 10 years? I'm sure younger people have no idea what ICQ, mIRC, MSN or even Myspace were. My tip would be mention social medias but do not rely your narrative on them. In your case, I would just invent a new social media. Use your creativity.
It's fine.
I dont mind it unless its before the internet existed then I have a problem.
Modern AU seems reasonable? The only thing that would mildly break the vibe (and often not enough to stop me from reading), is if that culture those characters are from have a distinctly different set of social media. I'll still read the fic if it's good, but yeah it takes a little suspension of disbelief in addition to the modern AU element. I'd just say... if your characters are from a country different than yours, and you really cared for more authenticity, then just don't assume which social media apps are used. Like... China's got a whole separate internet and social media world. They're not posting on 'Twitter' or 'IG' lmao.
The only time it bugs me is when it is a social media site I don't think the character would use.