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So The Guardian just took their “more than 80 accounts” and “approximately 27 million followers”, and officially left whatever is left of Twitter (currently known as X).
Two years too late, but hey, good for them, I suppose!
And they are also asking people about their experience with migrating between social media platforms.
I figured I’d publish my answers on my blog, might be a useful reference for me later.
Have you changed social media platforms recently? Why did you move?
Yes, I abandoned Twitter shortly after Elon Musk bought it, which was also the reason why I left. Twitter hasn’t been a great place for the underprivileged before that purchase, we just collectively shrugged it off, perhaps arguing that this was the best we got. That was much harder to justify after Musk took over.
What social media do you use and for what purposes?
The fediverse, via my own Mastodon server, has become my exclusive social media channel. It’s still a bit rough around the edges in terms of user experience, yes, but let’s be honest. What is the real lesson from the fall of Twitter? That we shouldn’t trust billionaires? That we need decentralized social media? Or maybe this was all a fluke, one bad billionaire.
The one lesson I would like more people to take out of this is that, our time here is limited. Making lasting connections is important, and more so with where we’re heading as a society and as a species. We have to be here for each other. We need tools to do that, but we also need these tools to serve that purpose, not be a vehicle for a few rich people to get even richer as the world burns and people suffer.
You are probably considering moving to Bluesky, which is heavily funded by a crypto venture capital group. What are their goals. Connecting people? Sure. Really though?
I mean fediverse, or as it is collectively nowadays known, “Mastodon”, isn’t great. But I trust that people who actively participate in it do want that basic human connection, without money getting in the way, without obsessing over numbers. Well, okay, many still do care about at least some of the numbers. Gotta get that dopamine hit.
Still. I urge you to look at the benefits of helping grow something meaningful, rather than looking for the next big thing that will be later replaced by the following next big thing, ad infinitum.
(Or I guess you could do both, and see which one you like better? Yeah, that is pretty sensible.)
