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Twitter, Bluesky, and what I gotta do
11 months ago
Right, so...
I know that I need to leave Twitter. Politically, it's shifting further and further away from my views. It isn't only that there have been changes made to the platform that directly influence right-wing nutters and suppress left-wing thought (all while claiming 'free speech', a laughable hypocrisy). It's that participation there directly feeds into the pocketbook of one Elon Musk.
I've lived the last few years blocking and muting him, operating under the assumption that Musk was intentionally fanning the flames of outrage on Twitter, and that by quoting him and talking about him, you're playing right into his hands. He doesn't care what you say about him, as long as you're A) talking about him, and B) getting other people to counter your points and continue talking about him. This generates more clicks, more buzz, more excitement, and more Twitter revenue. That was, to me, distasteful, but something that could be ignored. If Musk takes up no real estate in your head, then he's not winning.
I don't think I was entirely off in this assessment, but I see now it was incomplete. Because while Musk does want to get money, and lots of it (he's set to become the world's first trillionaire in a matter of years), it's clear that at least in part, this far right-wing political influence isn't exclusively an act made to make money. He does, on some level, believe it, and is using his wealth to push the needle in that direction. His direct, influential involvement in the Trump campaign is proof of that.
And in being a part of Twitter, I am in some small way assisting this. The 3K followers I have is a drop in the bucket compared to those with millions of followers, yes, but it's still a tacit endorsement. It's an agreement to be manipulated for right-wing gain. It is a small pillar helping support a nasty, dirty thing that is shaping the world for the worse.
You can say I'm overexaggerating, and that's fine. It's not really a point I want to argue. The truth is that all this just leads into giving a more moral, broader, world-affecting reason to leave Twitter, which is in addition to both the mental health stuff (Twitter is so angry and it makes me grumpy) and the fact that it just sort of sucks now (ads every 5 posts, blue checkmarks spamming comments, bots, etc.).
The part that's bumming me out, though, is that even with all of these reasons, and even with the fact that my income does not in any way depend on Twitter, that I still am having a hard time pressing the nuke button. 3K followers isn't a ton, but it's a lot for ME, and I do take pride and satisfaction from knowing that this many people want to see my stuff.
And for me to say "I do not want to stop supporting this organization that I consider evil, so that my vanity can remain unchecked"...
Well, the truth is that, I'm writing this post in hopes of convincing myself to let it go, and I think I'm a step closer now. It won't be long now. I've already reduced my reposting greatly, and I haven't posted anything other than just art in a long time.
... Yeah, the one with Rin eating noodles got 2.5K likes, it was the third most popular piece I've ever done, and I just can't say that this means nothing to me. It feels GOOD to work hard on something, and then have it be seen and appreciated.
... But I have to stop thinking of it that way. I have to stop caring about numbers. Because ultimately, it's less meaningful than the fact that it's keeping people adhered to a website that's polluting the world.
Anyway, suffice it all to say, I'm more active on Bluesky these days, and I hope soon to make it my sole social media flatform.
Keep it real y'all,
~Sam
I know that I need to leave Twitter. Politically, it's shifting further and further away from my views. It isn't only that there have been changes made to the platform that directly influence right-wing nutters and suppress left-wing thought (all while claiming 'free speech', a laughable hypocrisy). It's that participation there directly feeds into the pocketbook of one Elon Musk.
I've lived the last few years blocking and muting him, operating under the assumption that Musk was intentionally fanning the flames of outrage on Twitter, and that by quoting him and talking about him, you're playing right into his hands. He doesn't care what you say about him, as long as you're A) talking about him, and B) getting other people to counter your points and continue talking about him. This generates more clicks, more buzz, more excitement, and more Twitter revenue. That was, to me, distasteful, but something that could be ignored. If Musk takes up no real estate in your head, then he's not winning.
I don't think I was entirely off in this assessment, but I see now it was incomplete. Because while Musk does want to get money, and lots of it (he's set to become the world's first trillionaire in a matter of years), it's clear that at least in part, this far right-wing political influence isn't exclusively an act made to make money. He does, on some level, believe it, and is using his wealth to push the needle in that direction. His direct, influential involvement in the Trump campaign is proof of that.
And in being a part of Twitter, I am in some small way assisting this. The 3K followers I have is a drop in the bucket compared to those with millions of followers, yes, but it's still a tacit endorsement. It's an agreement to be manipulated for right-wing gain. It is a small pillar helping support a nasty, dirty thing that is shaping the world for the worse.
You can say I'm overexaggerating, and that's fine. It's not really a point I want to argue. The truth is that all this just leads into giving a more moral, broader, world-affecting reason to leave Twitter, which is in addition to both the mental health stuff (Twitter is so angry and it makes me grumpy) and the fact that it just sort of sucks now (ads every 5 posts, blue checkmarks spamming comments, bots, etc.).
The part that's bumming me out, though, is that even with all of these reasons, and even with the fact that my income does not in any way depend on Twitter, that I still am having a hard time pressing the nuke button. 3K followers isn't a ton, but it's a lot for ME, and I do take pride and satisfaction from knowing that this many people want to see my stuff.
And for me to say "I do not want to stop supporting this organization that I consider evil, so that my vanity can remain unchecked"...
Well, the truth is that, I'm writing this post in hopes of convincing myself to let it go, and I think I'm a step closer now. It won't be long now. I've already reduced my reposting greatly, and I haven't posted anything other than just art in a long time.
... Yeah, the one with Rin eating noodles got 2.5K likes, it was the third most popular piece I've ever done, and I just can't say that this means nothing to me. It feels GOOD to work hard on something, and then have it be seen and appreciated.
... But I have to stop thinking of it that way. I have to stop caring about numbers. Because ultimately, it's less meaningful than the fact that it's keeping people adhered to a website that's polluting the world.
Anyway, suffice it all to say, I'm more active on Bluesky these days, and I hope soon to make it my sole social media flatform.
Keep it real y'all,
~Sam
Rennearc
~fennecsnow95
Follow you on bluesky :3
gaygoat
~gaygoat
It's hard to pick up and go, but you follow where the people are.
Zhaozerbat
~zhaozerbat
It's hard but I think in the end, it would be worth it for your sanity in the long run. There's tools for finding people on Bluesky and well, it's best to accept not everyone will go to Bluesky.
