Current Trending 'X'/twitter eXodus | Where to? Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon or alternative?

The one thing I’ve noticed in my own experience is that since Twitter went to utter toxic garbage and after a couple of very negative experiences with being sent weird threatening DMs I’ve just given up on social media entirely.

I hardly ever post on any of them anymore. I closed my X/Twitter account about 2 or more years ago at this stage.

I had dropped Facebook ages ago, but left account there mostly as the only people still in my FB are older relatives and a few very non-tech savvy friends.

Instagram just seems to be endless small businesses, people trying to sell you stuff, festivals, pitches and influencers —I find it gets very boring and TikTok would just completely melt your head. It’s addictive to scrolling if you start, but it seems time waste.

I opened a Mastodon.ie account, got the best mobile clients etc and then just found I lost all enthusiasm for it. Nothing wrong with the vibe on that instance, but I’m just not really seeing the point in posting.

Bluesky seems more vibrant but while I’ve an account I’ve really no intention of investing time or effort into it after what happened on X/Twitter.

I’ve a nostalgia for that era when Twitter was useful, had a fun side and was all new and network building but I’ve really no desire to try to recreate 2012 on another platform. I don’t think it’s even possible —the world changed, people are much nastier on social media nowadays and the debate is coarse and lacks all nuance.

I prefer being fairly anonymous and topic based on forums. Boards is still ok and Reddit can be fairly decent, beyond that I don’t use social media anymore.

I’ve come to a conclusion that this stuff has a very negative impact on me. I take way too much of it to heart. It’s the same reason I dabbled in journalism and walked away. I know I have never bern able to do that one removed cold observation thing you need to be able to do, and there’s a limit to my ability to process it —I just get burnt out, stressed and really depressed.

What I've started to do a bit recently after seeing my Twitter timeline head in a direction I didn't like, is to start muting people I don't want to hear from. It doesn't stop others from interacting with my posts though, which is what blocking adds. But, it's definitely changing the character of what I'm getting to see.

A lot of people who've left for Bluesky want to go further than that though as well. They don't want anyone they don't like interacting with anyone in their circle, which is what these curated block lists seem to aim to achieve. I see people complaining bitterly when certain individuals have been allowed to setup accounts on BlueSky. I think for that reason it will end up as a worse echo chamber.

Yeah, still get a ton of crap from ppl I am following lol

There’s no perfect solution, but Bluesky is far better setup for more constructive conversations. Twitter has descended into a dumpster fire. There’s too many bots, too many users arguing in bad faith, too much porn to consider it remotely useful.

Comprehensive blocking tools are necessary. Does it mean that people will just block everyone they disagree with? Sometimes, but I think people are happy to discuss with other people as long as it’s in good faith and respectful. Allowing the user to completely remove anyone derailing the thread is a good thing, even if it means that some people will end up being block happy.

I think the meme that was posted on the previous page of this thread put it quite well. If you want to talk crochet, or puppy calming or Kendrick's music, without being interfered with by (what some might see as) obsessive contrarians or haters, then Bluesky might be the place to do it.

But, it's not going to be the new X. It'll never replace the dark humour, the edginess or the sharp edged commentary because all that depends on people being free to say what they want, and not being afraid of offending someone else.

I agree in part. It’s definitely a lighter social media site as it’s less algorithm driven. If you only want to talk about cars then that’s all you have to see. But I would wager that you’ll still get a lot of similar things that Twitter used to have. You can say whatever you want on there(as long as you don’t break the terms of service like old Twitter), but you don’t have the right to have people listen to you. If you can post without being an àsshole then there’s little reason to be mass blocked.

Twitter had it right for a while, I think - it was mostly a meritocracy. Popular tweets or popular accounts would get the most attention so it was driven by what users like. X never had that though, and has been woeful since Musk started running it, especially with paid priority and gutting the moderation teams. Replies are largely nonsense now and the bot problem is really noticeable. It’s been screwed with so much it’s difficult to believe that anything can go viral organically there, as Musk has it pushing his own account and accounts he has an interest in.

I don't listen to ass holes in real life, why do you think I want to have any interaction what so ever with them online ?

You can already mute or block anyone you want on X.

Not sure what you would expect from a $233 laptop. Most people would spend more than that on their phones.

Is this a sheep thing?

I think it’s more like this corkie:

On the Move

 – Sheep will follow a leader. If you can get one sheep moving, then the rest will most likely follow. Leaders tend to be the most dominant sheep in the flock. Sheep will also follow someone they trust and know. Sheep are hesitant to move towards the dark or into an enclosed area. For instance, if you need to move them into the barn at night, turn on the barn light and they will more easily follow you in. 

https://www.livingwithgotlands.com/2018/07/five-things-you-should-know-about-sheep-behavior/

I dunno if that actually is what the poster means, but having witnessed the way you’ve kinda led the way for people to get involved in BlueSky and given all sorts of helpful information, advice and direction as to where to start and where to go, I can kinda see the parallels 😁

Fair play though, is all I can think. It’s not for me but at the same time I can’t help but admire your advocacy 👍

I'd rather Bluesky than Threads - I could do with out Meta.