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This was posted on Mastodon, good article from The Verge a description of the Fediverse.
Yeah, the Fediverse is great. I've been looking into it since around 2018 and made my Mastodon account in 2019. But at the time it was still pretty small and uhh... dead. It really seemed to explode in 2022 and now even governments use it.
I do actively use PixelFed though, feels like a mix between Instagram (minus filters) and Flickr. Great for photography, no annoying fluff.
I think the only big 'social network' I still use is YouTube, although I've long stopped engaging with the social part of it. Especially since they stopped doing private messages and comments on channels.
I joined Mastodon at the beginning of the year. It’s fast and furious, but I prefer the forum format (which is not Mastodon) over the scrolling text (which is Mastodon) because it’s difficult to keep up, and I have no intention of living on it all day long. 🙂
Yesterday, I tried to get back into social media. Thus, I started with logging into my Twitter account.
Honestly, I was barely on it for five minutes, and I had to leave. At this rate, best for me to leave well alone…
Honestly, I was barely on it for five minutes, and I had to leave. At this rate, best for me to leave well alone…
I also definitely still prefer the forum format. However I don't actively use Mastodon and I only see posts of accounts I follow, which are basically only software projects, because RSS is dead to many. So that works as a way to see if there's anything new and noteworthy to check out.
I couldn't care less about opinions being shoved into my face constantly!
I had a Linkdin account, but eventually deleted it. I’ve never had a presence on any other SM platforms.
Obviously millions of people use SM and find value in using it. I just don’t feel that I’m a good fit for that type of communication.
Obviously millions of people use SM and find value in using it. I just don’t feel that I’m a good fit for that type of communication.
I do actively use it. Even if I wanted to follow the main feed on my server (which I don't) it's an out of control firehose of content. I'm the same way and like just looking at my following feed. It's easy and interesting to catch up on the posts of people I'm following.
I've forced myself to only use FB and Instagram for 5 minutes a piece on the weekends. I'm using a combination of Apple's Screen Time feature and the app Freedom for limiting my usage. I've nuked my Twitter account and I'm probably going to do the same for my Reddit account.
I used to be heavily addicted to social media. Checking FB and IG every 20 seconds for the newest post. Same for twitter. It used to be fun.
Then Covid happened and what was once a fun, harmless addiction turned into an outright obsession that I could not get away from. Obviously Covid changed a lot of things about our society and SM is no exception. I was getting all of my news about Covid from all of the platforms and it felt like I was intentionally plugging myself back into the matrix because I needed more hits of the drug.
Then one day, I snapped. I was getting bombarded by notifications from FB, IG, Twitter, Reddit and various other apps about how the world was intentionally setting itself on fire and how it was going from bad to worse at light speed.
I put my phone into airplane mode, put it under my bed and I sat in silence for an entire day. No notifications. No emails. No messages. No voicemails. Nothing. My brain and my psyche had gotten enough and I had a nervous breakdown. Cold sweats. Screaming into pillows. I straight up LOST it.
I kind of equate it to when an alcoholic throws away the booze on their own accord because something in their brain/mind says "This is stupid" and they quit cold turkey. It's not easy and the temptation is always going to be there but the end result is not the adrenaline rush or the feel good feeling that it used to be. It's just boring and you realize there is more to life than your addiction.
Now, I let myself check FB and IG for 5 minutes on the weekends and that's it. I dont even log into them on my Mac or iPad. Now, I view logging into those apps as a chore because I dont necessarily want to scroll and scroll to just to play catchup with what my friends and family have posted. I guess for me, I realized that posting to SM was just a way to feed the ego. In the end, it doesn't really accomplish anything. Sure, there is a use for SM but like any other tools (or drugs), moderation is key.
That's not to say that there aren't downsides to not using SM. As I said, I'm not up to date on what my friends and family are doing. I dont really know what's going on in my community. But at the same time, it's a pill I'm willing to swallow because in the end, I'm choosing to put my mental stability over the needs of an algorithm. I'll catch up with my friends and family in person and hear from them directly how their lives are. I'll catch up with community events IF I need to know about them. In a way, I'm forcing myself to exist in a way before SM existed.
I used to be heavily addicted to social media. Checking FB and IG every 20 seconds for the newest post. Same for twitter. It used to be fun.
Then Covid happened and what was once a fun, harmless addiction turned into an outright obsession that I could not get away from. Obviously Covid changed a lot of things about our society and SM is no exception. I was getting all of my news about Covid from all of the platforms and it felt like I was intentionally plugging myself back into the matrix because I needed more hits of the drug.
Then one day, I snapped. I was getting bombarded by notifications from FB, IG, Twitter, Reddit and various other apps about how the world was intentionally setting itself on fire and how it was going from bad to worse at light speed.
I put my phone into airplane mode, put it under my bed and I sat in silence for an entire day. No notifications. No emails. No messages. No voicemails. Nothing. My brain and my psyche had gotten enough and I had a nervous breakdown. Cold sweats. Screaming into pillows. I straight up LOST it.
I kind of equate it to when an alcoholic throws away the booze on their own accord because something in their brain/mind says "This is stupid" and they quit cold turkey. It's not easy and the temptation is always going to be there but the end result is not the adrenaline rush or the feel good feeling that it used to be. It's just boring and you realize there is more to life than your addiction.
Now, I let myself check FB and IG for 5 minutes on the weekends and that's it. I dont even log into them on my Mac or iPad. Now, I view logging into those apps as a chore because I dont necessarily want to scroll and scroll to just to play catchup with what my friends and family have posted. I guess for me, I realized that posting to SM was just a way to feed the ego. In the end, it doesn't really accomplish anything. Sure, there is a use for SM but like any other tools (or drugs), moderation is key.
That's not to say that there aren't downsides to not using SM. As I said, I'm not up to date on what my friends and family are doing. I dont really know what's going on in my community. But at the same time, it's a pill I'm willing to swallow because in the end, I'm choosing to put my mental stability over the needs of an algorithm. I'll catch up with my friends and family in person and hear from them directly how their lives are. I'll catch up with community events IF I need to know about them. In a way, I'm forcing myself to exist in a way before SM existed.
Instagram and here. I have a facebook account, but only use it for a few groups that I follow and that is pretty much it. I closed my twitter account down years ago, same with my reddit account.
Instagram has changed though, I used it more when it was just for photos... now that it is also videos, I find myself less and less on it, so it might be going the way of the dodo bird for me too!
So far this has been the place I come to on a daily basis. So there is that.
Instagram has changed though, I used it more when it was just for photos... now that it is also videos, I find myself less and less on it, so it might be going the way of the dodo bird for me too!
So far this has been the place I come to on a daily basis. So there is that.
I’ve noticed that my use case is more and more forums viewing/use (MacRumors and MachE forums).
Albeit, even with those, from time to time I need to take a break…
Albeit, even with those, from time to time I need to take a break…
I’m pretty much only on Reddit and Facebook groups interacting. I deleted TikTok and deleted my Twitter account. If it wasn’t for a few family members and the fb groups, I would never use FB. I feel like Instagram will be the next app that I delete my account on. Short form videos are ruining our attention span and we are being influenced by these random strangers who are feeding into the system only for a little pocket change. I tried to make woodworking content on YouTube and IG but don’t want to live my life talking to a phone screen.
People no longer believe facts anymore but they’ll believe what a random stranger tells them on a “social” media app.
People no longer believe facts anymore but they’ll believe what a random stranger tells them on a “social” media app.