If you've known me for any amount of time, then you know my opinions about Twitter.
I've always wanted an excuse to leave the platform, but I follow too many good artists on there, and the alternative sites just fail to keep me hooked into their ecosystems in any meaningful way.
Tumblr didn't work out for me, I didn't hop on mastodon since noone else did, and the only thing that has kinda worked out was this blog, though I know most people don't know about it.
This blog is a quiet place for now, and I like it. It's a nice simple place to post about whatever I want without having to worry about an algorithm or any form of reach. The only people who see this are those who like what I do and just want to hear my random ramblings.
That type of algorithmic freedom is what has led to me posting here a bit more often, even if it is only once a month or so.
Everyone and their pets and parents know this. That site is just a plague on humanity and always has been since I joined in middle school when I was not at all mentally ready to be on any sort of massively networked website with total strangers.
No one is ever happy on Twitter. Artists who link to their other sources of income are punched down upon by the algorithm, using hashtags to grow the range of your posts actually does the opposite and gets your reach nuked into nothing, you have to post every day if you want any of your tweets to go out to any of your followers, and people on Twitter get pissy about the smallest of issues because we have lost our collective ability to just ignore those who say things we don't like.
I see many people get mad over such little things because they don't have anything better to do. It's sad.
As soon as I saw that image of him holding that sink as he stepped foot into Twitter's HQ, I knew the site's days were numbered.
I think everyone did, really.
I don't really want to type out everything that has happened since he came about Twitter, but he's always been hated there.
It's like he looked at a fire-ant hill and thought that the ants would worship him as a god or something, but instead he gets bit and wonders why the fire-ants are biting him.
Every decision that he has made on that website has just been miserable. The X logo was just so lifeless compared to the pretty blue bird we had grown fond of over many years. The addition of "Twitter Blue", which became "X Premium", which went from simply being a way to view Twitter without ads to being a way to monetize your posts. The checkmarks being locked behind a paywall, meaning anyone could impersonate anyone. Every decision he has made has just driven the website into the ground and I just don't want to be there anymore.
I don't even post there often. I'm mainly there for the posts, but now my feed is mostly AI generated bullshit. Any good posts made are from those who don't monetize their posts, and those who bear the checkmark are mostly bots. Any links posted there get your stuff nuked, which I know I already said, but I wanted to reiterate. Twitter just feels dead. It isn't, it's still limping, but eventually it must be let go.
I've seen many social medias rise and fall over the years. Each one trying something new, but only seeming to be a cool gimmick for a while before fading away into a wasteland.
I used to jump around each platform when a new one came out. I did that a few times when Twitch was doing some really dumb shit with their management of the platform. Mixer was DOA. Youtube is alive and kicking more than it was when I first tried it, but it never stuck with me for streams. Facebook Live is a joke, though I never streamed there. Kick is a cesspool of degeneracy.
I didn't join Mastodon initially because the whole fediverse concept was quite confusing, and I was worried about losing my following on Twitter
Point is, I've seen many platforms pop up before fading away, but Bluesky feels different.
Hashtags work. API isn't pay-walled. Blocks work. Posts get decent reach without needing to resort to posting daily. Your feed shows what you want and doesn't resort to rage bait. Bots are few and far between and get banned quickly. People can set up their own moderation filters. Block lists can be shared. Feeds can be made by anyone. It's easier to find new people to follow. Art doesn't get you nuked. Links don't get you nuked.
The list goes on and on, but it's nice there. Everything seems quite bright on Bluesky. It's friendlier here. I don't feel like minor opinions will spark major upsets over nothing.
My hope with Bluesky is that this platform will end up working out for the better. More creativity and expression without fear of a platform turning against the people.
It's the first time I've looked at a new platform and went "maybe this place will work out this time."
Bluesky makes me excited to be on the internet again.
If you're not feeling well then please reach out to people close to you. Your family and friends care about you more than you may think, and losing you would be a great loss.
If your mind is plagued by suicidal thoughts then please reach out to the National Suicide Hotline at 988 and visit 988lifeline.org
The website has a lot of resources to help you get the help you need, and has a step-by-step guide on what it'll be like to call or text them.
Your life is important. You only get to live on this planet once, so make it count.
Take care. I'll see you next time!