Twitter’s downward spiral
I’ve been on Twitter since December 18, 2008. Those early days were pretty cool. Twitter provided a new way to connect with people, and I legitimately have friends in real life to this day that I initially met on Twitter.
But things are getting more and more troubling on the bird app, so I’m preparing a contingency plan – establishing a new presence on a relatively new social media platform called Mastodon.
It’s sort of underwhelming right now on Mastodon which is a surprisingly relaxing change of pace. Finding people I know to follow is a chore. Sometimes the app doesn’t load new “toots” (that’s what they are called!) because the servers are experiencing surges in traffic as many people are leaving or considering leaving Twitter. Understanding the federated nature of Mastodon servers takes a minute.
Immediate benefits of Mastodon
- no algorithms, you see toots from those you follow in chronological order
- no ads or promoted posts by people you don’t follow
- an EDIT BUTTON!
- no “genius” billionaires actively trying to destroy the network
- starting over with who to follow
I don’t plan on quitting Twitter until the great fail whale appears, but it’s good to consider contingency plans. And it’s fun to learn new things and start fresh sometimes.
You can follow me at Mastodon. Come on over. Let’s build a new community. Share ideas. Be creative. Or not so creative like posting what you had for lunch. I’ll still do that from time to time. 😉