I continue to have friends ask me if I'm going to migrate over to BlueSky, if I want a BlueSky invite, and would I please follow them when I come over to BlueSky soon? Obviously, after all, I shouldn't remain on Twitter. Twitter has too many problems (I mean, yes), and BlueSky is the obvious alternative where everyone will wind up, right?
I keep politely declining, saying that I'm quite happy with the three Social Media sites I'm already spread across. The response I continue to get is, roughly, "Oh. Well, when you wind up making a BlueSky account..."
In some sense, I get it - There's a LOT of people out there who actually want an algorithm to find what posts they should read. There are people who want an algorithm to shove their own posts into other people's faces. And there are a hell of a lot of people who are convinced that professional and artistic endeavors must be done on BlueSky because it is the only thing that will grant traction akin to to what Twitter could provide. I completely respect those thoughts.
But I can't do it. It's so obvious to me - so painfully obvious - that BlueSky is just Twitter in different packaging. It's made by the same guy. The platform has the same values. Bigotry and hate do have a place to thrive on BlueSky. They have a option on there to allow hate speech!!! If you have that option, you've already failed as a platform! I can't honestly see BlueSky becoming anything other than another tire fire of hatred and outrage, both being harvested for advertising dollars - Only now with some kind of blockchain bullshit bolted on.
I'll likely lose contact with some friends because of this, which is the part that really makes me sad. But honestly, I just can't do it.
🔔This really is at the beating heart of the matter; yes, it is hard to leave the pure convenience and low-effort ease of twitter behind. But a one-stop-shop for all things in your social life is a bad idea, and a bad thing to want. It's like trying to live off of nothing but convenience store potato chips; you could, theoretically, live that way, but not only is it not healthy it isn't even rewarding that lack of healthfulness with indulgence or pleasure. The best-case is an experience so flattened-out that it becomes intangible, a vague haze of 'engagement' that fails to provide lasting or meaningful joy.
All that, and I'd have to put up with racist cryptocurrency bagholders? Thanks, but no thanks.
