It’s habit that’s keeping me on twitter/X (I’ll carry on calling it twitter). That and fear of missing out on something interesting. I’ve been on twitter for a long time and, until it was bought by wrong ‘un multibillionaire and actual Bond villain Elon Musk, it’s been my favourite social media outlet, far more interesting than the endless parade of gurning selfies, exhibitionism and, at times, narcissism Facebook has become. No more. I’m in the process of throwing in my lot with Bluesky which is an eminently a more kind and friendly place. twitter is committing suicide. It’s time to help it on its way.
One major failing of social media in general and twitter in particular is the sheer number of fake accounts and bots. It used to be annoying, being subject to a pile-on from people who were posting under false names, or no names at all, or those who didn’t exist at all. But it was made bearable by twitter’s policy of banning extreme right wing accounts, including those belonging to actual fascists like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who calls himself Tommy Robinson, and the man who is, once again, the leader of the so-called free world Donald Trump. Upon buying twitter, Elon Musk reinstated the hard right, Nazis and all, and sacked most of the staff who made the site what it was. With limited moderation, twitter has become a repulsive place, a sewer, and many of us have been looking for something, yes, kinder and gentler and in Bluesky we appear to have found it.
As long as Bluesky doesn’t crack under the strain – it is currently adding something like a million new users every day – I will move over from twitter lock, stock and barrel. Bluesky is already my go to place and I suppose I am holding on to twitter just in case, although I am not sure what just in case means. In case Musk sees the light and makes a switch from hard right authoritarianism and embraces a liberal democracy and everyone lives together in perfect harmony? I don’t think so. Donald Trump’s new best friend has shown who he is now. The most likely outcome is that the two narcissists collide as each realises this town ain’t big enough for the both of them. “And it ain’t me who’s gonna leave,” they both add. It is me who’s gonna leave, sooner or later.
On the new twitter, disagreements quickly become easy, abusive and sometimes threatening. I am not easily scared by online cowards but I do find it unpleasant. Quite frankly, it is not the abuse that’s turning me off Musk’s new plaything. It’s the complete absence of meaningful discussion, never mind debate. I dealt with the hate by simply blocking the haters. Now, Musk has tweaked the site meaning that I can once again see the hateful comments of the blocked haters. Why do this? My guess is because he can.
Bluesky to date has little by way of hate speech. That can change and I have already noted that the Neo Nazi group Britain First has tried to establish a presence on the new platform, as well as Yaxley-Lennon, presumably from the comfort of his prison cell. There is no doubt that the hate merchants will try to infect Bluesky, as they have already all but murdered twitter. It is, at least in part, up to us not engage with them, to report abuse and block them. Musk totally deserves the attention of the far right given that he has happily embraced them in recent years. He’s a big part of it.
twitter, Bluesky and Facebook aren’t real places. Sometimes, particularly on twitter, the people aren’t real either. They’re what you want them to be, or rather should be. I suspect the platforms all have a lifespan, too, as the world keeps spinning around and new platforms and sites become available. Look at Facebook. I keep reading that people aged between 25 to 34 are the most prolific users but the evidence of my own eyes, which is admittedly anecdotal, suggests that that’s the age group that hardly touches the platform. And it’s mostly old codgers like me who like it not least because you have a strong degree of control as to how your friends are. twitter doesn’t work like that and increasingly that’s why people are waving a not so fond farewell.
I hope to see you on Bluesky, less so on Facebook and, when I finally get round to it, not at all on twitter. I won’t make Musk any poorer by abandoning him but I don’t have to essentially endorse what he is doing by staying with his fucked up platform. Bad people will always do bad things and I’m preparing the way forward for a life without twitter. And if I am being honest and sensible, it won’t be painful and it won’t matter.
I gave up smoking nearly 31 years ago, I gave up newspapers around five years ago and I gave up taking sweeteners (and sugar) with my tea about two years ago. I can break addictions, I know I can. And twitter threatens to be the easiest one of all. It’s a matter of when now, not if.
